Always
by SuzyH82
Summary: Jay and Erin made one promise...to have each other's backs...always! However, when Erin quits the Intelligence Unit during her downward spiral of guilt and blame for Nadia's death, Jay discovers not all promises can be kept.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, it happened! I have started a fic about Erin's downward spiral and how it impacts my precious Jay. I didn't think I would go there because well...I didn't like the storyline (and if I believe the spoilers and pics I've seen, I don't think I am going to like how it plays out either). It's not going to be a long fic (about 5 chapters) and I'm not going to call it a romantic Linstead fic either...it's more about Jay and their relationship/partnership/friendship.**

 **Anyway, please let me know what you think as I want to know if this is worth continuing. As always, your feedback and reviews are very much appreciated! Thank you!**

 **Always**

 **Concept**

Jay and Erin made one promise...to have each other's backs...always! However, when Erin quits the Intelligence Unit during her downward spiral of guilt and blame for Nadia's death, Jay discovers not all promises can be kept.

 **Prologue**

Jay sat at his desk, twirling a pen between his hands, his eyes focused on Erin's empty desk, taking in the last few moments, his mind was whirling.

 _Voight stood before the Unit, his hands shoved in his jeans pockets. "Boys, I just want to let you know that Erin will not be in for a few weeks." He barked. "She's on furlong." He nodded towards Olinsky, silently inviting him into the office before walking into the office with Olinsky quickly following, closing the door behind him._

He couldn't believe the abruptness of Voight at his announcement, as if Erin's absence was normal; it wasn't normal; then again, nothing about the last few weeks had been normal.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of Olinsky opening the door and exiting Voight's office. Without thinking, Jay jumped to his feet and strode towards Voight's office, determined to get answers. He didn't even bother knocking; he strode into the office and closed the door behind him.

He stood before Voight, placing his hands firmly on his hips, his foot tapping against the floor, waiting for Voight to remark on his attendance in his office.

Voight didn't even bother looking up at Jay from the file he was studying; instead, he glanced at his watch. "Wow Halstead!" He barked. "It's been a whole 10 minutes since I told you your partner wouldn't be in work for a few weeks and you're only coming now to question me." Finally, he looked up at Jay.

"Voight, I don't mean to disrespect you but do you really think it's wise to let Erin take furlong now?" Jay questioned. "I mean, I'm sure you've noticed that she is struggling...that she is going through some serious shit about losing Nadia..."

"Of course I've noticed that Halstead!" Voight spat.

"So why'd you let her take furlong?" Jay shot back. Then his eyes fell on the open top drawer of Voight's desk. He could see her badge and gun. He pointed at the drawer, his jaw dropping open, his eyes widening.

Voight quickly slammed the drawer shut; but it was too late; Jay was already drawing his own conclusions. "Erin's not on furlong is she?" Jay snapped. "She quit!"

Voight shook his head and sighed. "Halstead..."

"Why? Why would you say she's on furlong?" Jay pondered, beginning to pace in front of Voight's desk. "Why would you let her quit? Why didn't you stop her?"

"You don't think I tried Halstead?" Voight scoffed.

"No!" Jay shot back as he stopped pacing and glared at Voight. "You couldn't have tried or Erin wouldn't have quit...she's not a quitter!"

"Halstead, Erin has a few things to work out." Voight tried to reason. "She's not in the right place to listen to reason...she's grieving...she needs time and I'm trying to buy her some. You can't tell anyone she quit...I mean, only myself and Al know."

"So that's it?" Jay hissed. "You're just going to give her space? You're not going to fight her on this?"

"Jay, I've been here with Erin before, I know what I am doing." Voight shot back. "She needs to hit rock bottom..."

"She already has!" Jay snapped.

"Unfortunately Halstead, she hasn't." Voight retorted. "Trust me; I should know...I witnessed it before. There were so many times I tried to help when she was my C.I. but she wasn't ready; it was only when she hit rock bottom that she finally asked for my help."

"So you're just gonna sit there and do nothing until she comes to you?" Jay shot back.

"Unfortunately, it's what works Halstead." Voight replied.

"Yeah, well I can't just sit back and wait Voight!" Jay stated. "I promised to have her back...always and waiting for her to self destruct is not going to help me keep that promise!"

"So what? You're going to be her guardian angel and watch over her?" Voight questioned.

"Well...yeah!" Jay retorted, doubting himself. "All I know is I can't sit here and do nothing...wondering if every dead body we get called out to is her...I won't live like that!"

"Halstead, that's your choice to make." Voight responded. "And I hope it works for you because it certainly didn't work for me the last time...Olinsky and Platt will tell you that. She nearly broke me the last time; I don't know if I could handle it the second time around...especially without Camille."

"But aren't you worried about her?" Jay questioned.

"She's like a daughter to me Halstead; I never stop worrying about her." Voight stated. "But I have to have faith she'll find her way back and until then, I'm gonna take comfort in the fact she's got you watching her back."

Jay nodded before speaking again. "Sir, I hate to ask but..."

"Just go Halstead." Voight cut him off. Jay nodded and headed towards the door. "And Halstead..." Jay turned to face Voight. "...keep me informed."

"You got it sir." Jay replied and raced out of the office and the bull pen.

 **To be continued...if you want?**


	2. Chapter 1a

**Wow! Thank you for the awesome response to the prologue. I really hope this fic does not disappoint now. The pressure is on now LOL!**

 **I am sorry that I misspelled 'furlough'. We don't have that here is Ireland so I am sorry if it ruined any of the story for you.**

 **As I mentioned before, this chapter won't necessarily be a romantic Linstead story; it is more about their friendship and partnership.**

 **I decided to write it because it is kinda how I would like Jay to deal with Erin's downward spiral. As many of you know, I am a BIG Jay fan but if I'm totally honest, I think he is too good for Erin at the minute. He is always supporting her and I think she gives very little back e.g. how she managed Lonnie Rodiger's murder. I know, controversial for a Linstead fan right? LOL!**

 **As always, please be kind and review what you read. I'd love to know what you think. Your thoughts are great inspiration to keep doing what I am doing.**

 **Chapter 1**

Jay strode into Bunny's bar, his eyes quickly scanning the room, well aware of his target. He ignored the people scurrying to make an exit, probably with something to hide from a cop but he didn't care; he just had to find her.

She hadn't been at her apartment, which made sense as it was a crime scene the night before. To him, her mother's bar was the next logically location, not wanting to think that she could be with that other guy he had seen her tenderly tending to last night.

He found her, sitting in the corner, a line of empty beer bottles sitting on the counter in front of her as her fingers teased the label of the bottle in her hand, before she brought it to her lips to take another gulp.

He inwardly sighed when he saw her. She was a broken mess; not the spitfire sassy detective he knew. Her hair was hanging down and swept back, held by her natural grease rather than hair product. She had deep dark circles under her eyes; as if she hadn't slept in a month.

He stepped towards her, well aware that Bunny had spotted him. He continued walking towards her, even though Bunny started charging towards him, shouting "Detective Halstead, my daughter does not want to talk to you" on a continuous loop. "She's not CPD anymore. Unless you have a warrant, you have no right to be here!"

He ignored her and stopped beside Erin. "Erin." He stated, warm but firm. She didn't flinch; her eyes staying focused on the beer bottles in front of her.

"Detective Halstead..." Bunny started again.

Jay turned his face to glare at Bunny, desperately trying to control his disgust for her. He hadn't felt like this in a long time; not since he faced Lonnie Rodiger. "This is between Erin and me." He hissed.

"My daughter..." Bunny started to say.

"Oh, so now you decide to play mommy..." Jay cut her off. "...30 years too late!"

"I...I...I..." Bunny stuttered, not sure what to say next.

Erin gave a soft laugh, attracting both of them back to her. "It's okay Bunny, I got this." She coolly stated before she looked up at Jay; her fingers playing with the neck on her beer bottle.

He could see the smile on her lips but it didn't reach her eyes; they were dead and glazed over like glass. It was then that he realised that Erin was not just under the influence of alcohol that morning. He inwardly sighed, wondering how this could not be rock bottom for her.

"I'll be right behind the bar sweetie." Bunny stated softly, placing a delicate touch on Erin's arm before Erin nodded knowingly. Bunny glared at Jay as she returned to her place behind the bar.

Jay scoffed at her glare and took the seat beside Erin, keeping his hands firmly in the pockets of his leather jacket, trying to resist every urge that was telling him to grab her and run; to take her away from the hell she found herself in.

"So let me guess..." Erin stated, taking another gulp of the beer. "Voight told you that I quit so here you are, hoping I'll drop my panties again." She reached forward and placed her hand on his thigh, slowly moving it up towards his groin. "I hope you have a new line 'cause ' _We don't work together anymore_ ' is a little dated." She gave a soft laugh.

He ignored her touch, focusing on her face. "What have you taken Erin?" He asked.

She scoffed and quickly looked away, removing her hand from his thigh. She ran her fingers through her greasy hair. "Nothing." She muttered. "I'm just having a few drinks."

"Erin!" He scolded. "C'mon, this is me...you can tell me."

"There is nothing to tell." Erin replied, staring straight ahead into the mirror behind the bar as she brought the bottle of beer back to her lips.

"Erin, we don't lie to each other...don't start now." Jay pleaded.

Again, she scoffed before looking at him. "Are you serious?" She questioned. "All we do is lie!"

"Erin, I only want to help." Jay stated, changing tact. "Tell me what you've taken."

"Jay, I don't want your help." She quickly retorted. "What I want is to be left alone to enjoy my beers in peace."

"Yeah well I can't leave you alone." Jay replied. "You know why? Because I have your back...I will always have your back."

Erin groaned. "Yeah well there is no need." She quickly spat back. "Didn't you hear me? I quit! I'm no longer a cop! You're no longer my partner so stop watching my back! I don't need you!"

"You need a friend Erin, and that's why I here; not as your partner but as your friend." Jay tried to reason.

She scoffed again. "You don't want to be my friend. Don't you realise? I get my friends killed."

Jay sighed. There it was; it was back to Nadia. "Nadia was not your fault." He stated.

Erin shook her head and stood up, grabbing her jacket from behind the bar stool. "You'll never get it!" She sighed before beginning to walk towards the exit.

Jay reached out to take hold of her wrist, forcing her to stop and look at him. "Help me get it Erin." He pleaded. "You're not alone in this...we all miss her."

Erin pulled her hand out of Jay's hold. "Stay away from me Jay." She coldly stated. "I didn't just quit the CPD...I quit you too."

She walked towards the exit and out the door, ignoring Bunny's calls, asking where she was going. To be honest, she didn't know where she was going, she just had to get away from him; Jay. She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out her cell phone, knowing one thing; she needed a fix, and soon.

#############

* * *

Jay inwardly sighed as he glanced at his phone for the tenth time in the matter of minutes. He knew he should be paying attention to whatever Antonio's friend was saying; receiving their training on how to run the gym but his mind was otherwise occupied, waiting for a little ding to go off, telling him Erin had switched on her phone so the GPS could find her.

It had been a few days since his initial showdown with her at Bunny's bar and he desperately needed to know she was okay or at least breathing but so far, he had no contact from her. He had phoned and texted her; returned to her apartment and Bunny's bar but she wasn't there and Bunny was definitely not going to tell him if she knew where she was.

He felt Antonio's hand swat into his stomach, gaining his attention. "Huh?" He muttered, focusing back on the training taking place, ignoring the glares he was receiving from both Antonio and Roman.

He sighed, silently wondering why he had even agreed to this partnership for the gym. At the time, he felt sorry for Antonio; he was so desperate to buy the place but was so in need of money. Suddenly however, he found the money to finance it but Antonio still wanted Jay and Roman involved.

Now here he was, getting trained on how to run the place when really all he wanted was to be out looking for Erin. He really didn't know how Voight was coping, not knowing where she was but if he was honest, he wasn't really sure Voight was coping. He looked as drained as Jay felt.

##########

* * *

Jay slide into his car and groaned, in desperate need of a beer and a good night's sleep; although he knew he probably wouldn't get either. His eyes fell on the tube of lip gloss lying in the unused ash tray of his car; the tube belonging to Erin; left behind after the one day she let him drive.

He sighed and reached for his phone, quickly dialling a number that was becoming too familiar to him over the last few days. "Halstead." He heard Voight bark at the other end.

"Has she been in touch yet?" He asked.

"You would have been my first call if she had." Voight answered.

Jay nodded his head, knowing Voight was being honest. He hated to admit it but over the last days he had seen a different side to Voight, he knew now why Erin had struggled to go against him; he was a father figure; a father that was in the dark as much as him now.

"I'm worried about her Hank." He stated, not even second guessing the use of his sergeant's name.

"I know Jay but have faith. We haven't lost her." Hank quickly replied.

"Yet." Jay couldn't help but silently add.

"Jay, just try to get some rest." Voight advised. "Another day with no news is another day gone without any bad news."

"Yeah, I guess." He muttered. "Goodnight sir."

"Good night Halstead." Voight replied before hanging up.

Jay sighed and tossed his phone onto the passenger seat; his eyes resting on the lip gloss again. He shook his head and put the car in drive; heading towards Erin's apartment; knowing at some point, she would have to come home.

###############

* * *

Jay's eyelids began to flutter at the sound of the ding, signalling the arrival of an elevator. He slowly rubbed his eyes, adjusting to the bright lights of the hallway. He picked himself up off the floor, rubbing his neck, not at all surprised that he had been able to fall asleep leaning against Erin's door; it had happened the previous nights that he had waited for her return.

However, she never did return those nights but tonight; tonight Jay hoped it was different. He quickly focused his eyes on the elevator, hoping to see her step out into the hallway.

He sighed with relief as he heard her stilted laughter, slightly slurred by the alcohol or the drugs or both. His relief was short lived as his eyes fell on her, stumbling out of the elevator, still wearing the same clothes she had been wearing the last time he saw her and she clearly hadn't showered since then either.

She stopped laughing as her eyes fell on Jay, waiting at her door. She groaned an exasperated groan. "Ugh, you again." She muttered, bouncing off her neighbour's door as she made her way towards her own.

"Erin, where have you been?" Jay asked, desperately trying not to inhale the odour surrounding her.

"Having fun." She shot back; her speech slurring. "You remember that Jay?" She aimed to poke him in chest but poked thin air. "You used to be it!"

"Seeing you like this isn't my idea of fun Erin." Jay replied.

"'Cause you're no longer fun." She replied, her words slurring again. She tried to place her key in the lock; the key hovering in thin air. "Why can't I get my key in?" She glared at Jay. "Did you change the lock on me?"

"It helps if you put the key in the lock Erin." Jay stated, taking the key off her and placing it in the lock before swinging the door open.

"Why are you here Jay?" She asked, not longer slurring; instead, she sounded almost sober. She reached out and placed a hand on his chest. "Are you still hoping I'll drop my panties again just 'cause we don't work together anymore?"

Jay tried his best to not inhale her odour as she pressed herself against him. He shook his head, making an instant decision; no longer able to stomach the situation. He quickly scooped her up into his arms and tossed her over his shoulder, stepping into her apartment and heading straight to the bathroom.

"I guess you do still want me, huh?" She teased before Jay took hold of her again and tossed her into her bath, taking her by surprise. "What the..." She felt the heavy steam of water from the shower head guzzling down on her, causing her to spit and gurgle as she tried to scream "Jay!"

"I'm doing this for you Erin." Jay quickly shot back, continuing to hose her down with the shower head. "You need help Erin! This isn't you!"

Erin got over her initial shock and made a lunge, trying to grab the shower head from Jay's hold, wrestling, causing the hose to spray both of them.

"Hon, I didn't have enough cash on me for the scotch so I hope vodka is okay?" A male voice called.

Jay released his hold on the hose, distracted by the voice; he hadn't allowed himself to think that Erin might be expecting company, especially another man.

Erin took control of the hose and knocked off the water, just as Landon appeared at the bathroom door, waving the bottle of vodka. He was taken aback at the sight of Jay. "Um hon, I love a party 'an all but I didn't realise this was gonna a threesome. I only brought enough stash for the two of us." He stated.

Jay looked down at the floor, desperately trying to conceal his anger and his disgust but it was too late, Erin had already seen the look in his eyes.

"You see that look Jay...that's me!" She stated. "I'm that girl...the girl who disgusts you...the real me."

"Erin..." Jay tried to explain, looking back at her. "...this isn't you."

"Yes it is!" She exclaimed. "It's always been me...I've just been undercover."

"Babe, you two are killing my buzz here!" Landon cut in.

"I need you to leave Jay...I don't want to see you." She stated.

"Erin..." Jay pleaded.

"Just go." She stressed.

Jay reluctantly sighed and pushed his way past Landon and out of the apartment.

############

* * *

Jay rushed into the open plan boxing gym, his eyes locating both Dawson and Roman at the sign in desk/reception. "I know...I know, I am late." He muttered, tossing his gym bag under the desk. "Something came up at work. I'm sorry...thanks for covering my shift."

Dawson studied him, well aware that as they were both leaving the bullpen, Voight had called Jay into his office; something that has been happening a lot more often. "Voight's been calling you into his office a lot more often." He stated. "Is there anything you want to tell me? Saying I vouched for you in the unit so therefore you're my responsibility."

"Nothing is going on Antonio." Jay replied.

"So this is about Lindsay then." Antonio detected.

"Oh, don't tell me you two finally hooked up and Voight found out so now she's on ' _furlong_ ' as punishment?" Roman questioned, using his finger to invert comma 'furlong'.

"What? No!" Jay scoffed. "Voight was just checking in on how I'm working without a partner."

Antonio nodded; he knew something was going on, both Jay and Voight had been distracted and there was a lot more meetings between Jay, Voight and Olinsky going on behind closed doors. However, he had to trust that his ' _protégé_ ' would fill him in if and when the time came.

He just had to believe that Voight and Olinsky hadn't involved Jay in something that blurred the lines. The one thing Jay had was his need to do the right thing, guided by his own moral compass. Dawson just hoped the absence of Erin hadn't blown him off track.

"Alright." Antonio muttered with a shrug. He picked up his gym bag and tossed his shoulder. "Are you okay by yourself until close?"

"Yeah, and thanks for covering me." Jay replied.

"Hey, we're a team." Roman stated, also picking up his gear. "It's what we do."

Jay nodded, knowing that in reality, Dawson and Roman had been doing most of the work for the gym as Erin was keeping him pre-occupied a lot in his free time. "Yeah, but I appreciate it."

"Ugh, God!" Dawson groaned, his eyes dropping to the ground.

"What?" Jay questioned, looking around trying to locate the problem as Roman softly laughed. All he could see was a woman stepping into the gym, dressed in black gym leggings and a matching black cropped gym top with a cobalt blue trim. She had chocolate brown hair with blonde tips that was cut into a messy tousled bob.

"At least you didn't scare her off." Roman stated with a smirk, slapping Antonio on the shoulder.

"Watch her Halstead...she's a right little ice princess." Antonio muttered.

"Did you...?" Jay trailed off, realising what had happened; Dawson had obviously made an unsuccessful move on her. On one hand, he knew they really shouldn't be hitting on the very little female clientele they had but on the other, he knew Dawson was going through a dry spell and well, that woman was highly attractive, her body was slim but toned and curved in all the right places.

"Yep, and she cut him right down to size!" Roman retorted, scoffing.

Antonio grunted. "Good luck Halstead." He walked out of the gym, followed by Roman who was still chuckling to himself.

#######

* * *

Jay stayed at the desk, occasionally glancing over at the 'ice princess' as Antonio had labelled her, deciding to follow Antonio's advice and keep his distance. However, as he watched her pathetic attempts at punching the punch bag, he knew he had to step in.

He tossed his pen onto the desk and stepped out from behind the desk, heading towards the punch bag. He stopped a few feet from the punch bag and crossed his arms. "Your form is all wrong." He simply stated.

He heard her groan and stretch her arms out to stop the punch bag, before glaring up at him, displaying her wide deep blue eyes. "Your friend used the exact same line, trying to get up on me and a cop a feel." She shot back.

"I'm not surprised if he saw what I saw..." Jay began, ignoring her groan; knowing she was probably preparing to make some rant about judging people on their looks. He continued. "...I mean, with that form, you're hardly being effect and there is a pretty good chance you'll injury yourself."

She looked at him, preparing to swat away any attempt at touching her in disguise of a demonstration. However, he didn't want to use her to demonstrate, he demonstrated himself; holding his arms up in guard of his face before swinging out with his right fist making perfect contact with the bag.

"See, how my feet are planted, in line with my hips, leaving a clear rotation for the swing." He stated. "And you have to keep your guard up and look at the swing and my shoulder blade and the rotation; the force; you have to use the right technique or you can do serious damage."

"Um, thanks." She muttered. "Are you a boxer?"

"No, but my friend...the one that commented on your form...he was, taught me everything I know." Jay shot back.

The girl sighed and attempted to brush back a stray strand of hair while still wearing her boxing gloves. "I'm sorry...I just...I guess I have a chip on my shoulder." She apologised. "I just...because of past experiences, I just assume most guys are hitting on me."

"Oh no...Antonio definitely was." Jay quickly retorted with a smirk, causing the girl to laugh.

"But you weren't." She observed. "And you're not gay so...ah, you're a member of the broken heart club."

"What?" Jay scoffed. "You think I'm suffering a broken heart because I didn't hit on you? Wow! No self esteem issues with you anyway. I mean, how do you know I'm not gay?"

"Please!" The girl scoffed. "You're not gay; my gaydar would totally sense it and well, I'm pretty good at recognising the broke heart club eyes because well, I'm a member too. Hence the extreme urge to hit something."

"Ah, so that's why you have so much hate for men!" Jay sighed. "So how did he screw you over? Cheat on you with another woman? Another man? Your gaydar is not so good, huh? Did he forget your birthday?"

"Actually _she_ just decided that 7 years together was 7 years too many." She quickly shot back, emphasising the 'she'.

"Um...I...um...I'm sorry?" He stuttered, not sure what to say.

She gave a small smile and shrugged. "I guess it is what it is." She sighed before pulling off one of her boxing gloves. "I'm Georgie by the way." She offered her hand towards Jay to shake. "I figure I should introduce myself if I'm gonna share my life story."

"Jay." He replied, giving her hand a firm shake.

Georgie nodded and slipped her hand back into the boxing glove. "So, now that we've been officially introduced..." She stated, beginning to punch the bag and as Jay held it in place. "...are you gonna tell me how you got your membership?"

Jay's eyes widened; this girl definitely didn't have any confidence issues; she wasn't shy in coming forward.

#############

* * *

The hours passed quickly as Jay surprisingly found himself sharing his predicament regarding Erin with Georgie. She was so easy to talk to; without judging him or Erin's unfortunate downfall due to her grief.

He hadn't realised how much he needed to talk about everything that had gone on the last few months and how the loss of Nadia had affected them all, not just Erin. He had been so wrapped up in Erin that he hadn't really dealt with his own feelings towards Nadia's horrific death.

In return, he listened as she talked about the breakdown of her own relationship with her girlfriend. Her girlfriend had wanted to get married but Georgie wasn't ready and her ex-girlfriend wasn't willing to wait, feeling she had already wasted 7 years.

The ex-girlfriend had already moved on and started dating someone else, not wanting to waste any more time. Now Georgie was back in Chicago, after living in New York, now living with her parents and searching for a job.

After he pulled down the shutter on the gym and replaced the padlock, he slung his gym bag over his shoulder and turned to face Georgie; also standing with her gym bag over her shoulder. "Thanks for the therapy session." Jay said.

"Please!" Georgie stated, fanning away the comment. "You were my therapist too. It um...it was good to actually talk about things. My ex got our friends in the break up...I mean, I guess it makes sense right? Saying they were in New York right?"

"You're from Chicago, I'm sure you still have some friends here." Jay retorted.

"None that would actually understand." Georgie replied, shuffling her feet and staring at the curb.

"You know, the night is still kinda early." Jay stated. He had been enjoying her company. For the first time, since he ' _lost_ ' Erin after Nadia's death, he didn't feel lost himself; he wasn't ready for the night to end yet. "Maybe we could go for a drink?"

Just as Georgie was about to respond, her phone beeped. She quickly looked at her screen and groaned before looking up at Jay. "Ugh...sorry I can't." She answered. "The joys of being a 26 year old living at home again; my dad is wondering where I am and wants me home."

"I guess you have a curfew." Jay joked.

"I guess I do." Georgie sighed, shoving the phone back into her gym bag. There was silence. "So, I guess I'll see you at our next session, trainer?"

"I guess you will...client." Jay replied, slightly shaking his head, wondering how he had become a personal trainer in his spare time.

Georgie nodded her head and backed off, before pausing and turning to face Jay again. "Jay, don't give up on Erin." She simply stated. "She never gave up on Nadia...and I think she needs to know you're not giving up on her either."

"Thanks." Jay muttered in reply.

Georgie nodded her head again and walked off towards her car; Jay's eyes following her until he knew she was safely in her car.

#############

* * *

Erin rolled her eyes as she reached forward and grabbed the bottle of beer from the bar and brought it to her lips and muttered "Uh huh" to whatever plan of partying Landon was creating as he sat beside her, his hand firmly gripping her thigh.

She heard the bell on the door of the bar jingle but she didn't bat an eyelid until the stool beside her was pulled out, allowing someone to sit down beside her. She fixed her best fake smile on her lips and prepared herself to play nice; knowing the occupier of the stool could be her next supplier of booze if she played it right.

"Hi." She sighed as seductively as possible, turning to meet the occupier beside her. "Geez! You don't give up!" Her eyes meeting a very familiar set of green eyes.

Jay smirked. "Hi yourself." He signalled for the bartender to supply a beer.

"Jay, I thought I told you to stay away." She hissed.

"And I told you I would have your back...always." Jay shot back, acknowledging the bartender with a nod as he placed a bottle of beer in front of him. He looked back at Erin. "Plus, I really needed a beer." He brought the bottle to his lips and took a sip, before saying "So, no Bunny tonight?"

"She doesn't work every shift." Erin answered.

"Babe, is that the dude from your place?" Landon asked.

Erin groaned, suddenly remembering that Landon was beside her.

"Oh, I guess I should formally introduce myself." Jay stated, smiling his trademark smirk. He leaned over with his hand outstretched. "I think you were a little worse for the last two occasions I was at Erin's place. For a start, the first time you had just taken a knock to the head after Erin here pissed off some crook cops."

"Jay!" Erin hissed, holding her head in her hands; not wanting to believe this was happening.

"I'm Detective Jay Halstead, her former partner and..." He broke off. "...how would you explain our little liaison? I mean, I wasn't your boyfriend. And you didn't love me so we weren't lovers..."

"Jay!" Erin barked, glaring at him.

"So I guess we're friends...no, partners with benefits?" He looked back at Erin. She could see the hurt and anger in his eyes. "I mean, I guess that is the best way to describe it...for you anyway, right?"

She looked down at the bar and swallowed hard, gathering her thoughts. Did he not get that she didn't want to feel anything anymore? That she didn't want to be constantly reminded of the possible happiness that she didn't deserve? She knew what she had to do.

She turned towards Landon and placed her hand over his crotch and cupped him through his jeans before crashing her lips against his. As she broke away from his lips, she stated. "Let's take this into the bathroom."

She glared at Jay as she slid off the stool. She could tell that he was trying not to react; as if her behaviour was normal. "I guess I'll see you in ten." She stated. "Although Landon, he likes is real dirty; keeps him going all night."

She watched as Jay stared straight ahead, focusing on the bar as he took a long gulp of beer; desperately struggling to contain the rage and jealousy within him.

She took Landon's hand and led him into the bathroom; his lips were on her neck as soon as the door closed; his hands already working on the zipper of his jeans. Erin however, was focused on hearing the familiar jingle of the bar door.

As soon as she heard the jingle, she pushed Landon away. She could see the confusion in his eyes. "Sorry, the moment is gone." She replied as she straightened up her clothes. She exited the bathroom, leaving Landon to sort himself out.

She kept her eyes focused on the stools they had just vacated; sighing with relief when she noticed, as suspected, her neighbour had left. She could feel a tear trying to escape her eye. She quickly brushed it away and strode towards the stool, signalling to the bartender to supply her with another drink. This time she wanted a shot of tequila; she earned it.

###########

* * *

Jay jogged up behind Roman and Dawson, just as they were entering the District. He slipped in the middle of them and threw an arm over each of them. "Hey guys, I can work the gym tonight." He stated.

"Are you sure?" Roman asked.

"Yeah, I thought you had plans." Dawson stated.

"Yeah, well my plans have changed." Jay answered. He had planned to follow Erin again but after her performance last night, he decided to give himself a break. "Plus the client that I had scheduled for my shift wanted to change to tonight so..."

"Wait!" Dawson exclaimed as he stopped and spun around to face Jay. "You actually have your own client?"

"Um...yes." Jay muttered, not sure how to answer the question.

"Who?" Roman asked.

Jay grimaced; not sure how to respond.

"Please don't tell me you scored the ice princess!" Antonio scoffed.

"Um...she's actually not that icy." Jay responded.

Antonio eyes widened. "Wow! First my sister and now the ice princess! You really are a player!" Antonio stated. "I bet you even scored with Brett too."

"Sylvie?" Roman scoffed.

"First of all, Sylvie has only ever been a friend...Sean." Jay directed his response towards Roman. He was well aware of their one off hook up. Sylvie had called him straight after Roman left her place to ensure she hadn't made an idiot of herself. "I mean, sure when she first arrived in town we hung out a few times and she was there for me at a bad time but we are strictly platonic."

He turned to Dawson. "And you know Gabi became more than an undercover target for me...she just wanted someone different." He stated. "As for your ice princess...she is strictly a client...she was just a bitch to you because you hit on her and she's going through a messy breakup."

"So when she navigates her messy break up, you'll put in a word for me?" Dawson asked.

"Well..." Jay began, trying to break the news that both Dawson and Georgie had a common interest; women.

"Detective Chuckles, get over here!" Sergeant Platt called, interrupting them.

Jay shrugged and jogged towards her desk as Roman and Dawson headed towards the locker room. "What's up, sarge?" He asked.

Sergeant Platt lowered her voice and leaned into Jay. "Hank mentioned you were looking out for Erin." She softly stated. "I was just wondering if you've made much progress. I mean, I know Hank thinks tough love is what she needs and she has to hit rock bottom but I don't want that kid to go there again...I mean, it was bad the last time and..." She trailed off.

Jay could see the softness and concern in her eyes. Now he knew why Erin, and consequently Nadia was a favourite of hers. "I mean, I miss Nadia too..." Sergeant Platt continued. "We always used to meet at the vending machines during our break...she called them..."

Jay could see the tears building in Sergeant Platt's eyes; he really didn't know how to deal with her breakdown; especially as she normally terrified him. He reached out and gave her arm a gently squeeze.

"I have her back Sergeant Platt." He stated, knowing it was all he could say.

Sergeant Platt gave a small smile and quickly brushed away the few tears, before nodding for Jay to move on.

Jay gave her a reassuring nod and jogged towards the scanner. Just as he was about to gain access to the bullpen, he saw Commander Fischer entering the bullpen. Then he saw the woman entering behind him, dressed in a short grey skirt, white shirt and a grey suit jacket. He noticed the dark brown hair tussled bob with blonde tips straight away.

"Georgie?" He muttered, completely confused. Was she interviewing for a job? They were both so busy sharing stories of their painful love lives that he hadn't either bothered to actually ask what her profession was.

He wondered if she was going for a civilian job like a receptionist as she really didn't give off the 'cop' vibe. Then the panic began to flood his mind. What if she was Nadia's replacement? She's know too much; too much that Voight didn't want shared; like the fact Erin isn't on furlough; she quit.

He watched and Commander Fischer tenderly placed his hand on the small of her back and pushed her forward, towards Platt to introduce her. He paused, waiting to hear how she was introduced. Then he heard Commander Fischer's words. "Trudy, you remember my little girl...Detective Georgina Fischer."

Jay froze on the spot as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped open. "What the...?" He gasped, his mind whirling, trying to figure out how much trouble he had just gotten himself into.

 **To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 2

**First off, I want to thank anyone who took the time to review what they read. I really appreciate it. This fic has been slightly different from me as it is coming from something that has happened on the show and I always find that harder to write because the starting point for this fic wasn't my own creation; instead, I am simply putting my own spin on it.**

 **I would love to know what you are all thinking/feeling about this chapter and fic in general so please be kind and review what you read. It would be a big help and I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!**

 **P.S. This is kinda a long chapter. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Chapter 2**

Jay stayed frozen to the spot; he knew he should head up to the bullpen for the briefing but his mind and body were not working together. He heard Sergeant Platt gush at how beautiful Georgie, or rather Detective Georgina Fischer, i.e. the Commander's daughter had grown up since she last saw her when her dad was stationed there as a patrol man 20 years ago.

He heard Commander Fischer say how Georgina had been working with the NYPD but was now awaiting her transfer to the CPD. He watched as Georgina rolled her eyes and looked away, clearly embarrassed as her dad began listing off her accomplishments.

Then, he watched as her eyes widened and she did a double take, catching sight of Jay, still loitering outside the gate. She seemed as surprised as he was to find each other in the district. He knew he really should walk away, up to the bull pen but again, his legs would not shift.

He watched as she quickly recovered and interrupted her father and Sergeant Platt to excuse herself to the bathroom. Then he swallowed hard as he noticed her striding towards him, nodding her head towards the corridor leading to the vending machines, indicating that she wanted him to follow her.

Finally, his mind and body decided to communicate again and he followed her, looking around him to make sure Sergeant Platt and Commander Fischer were not looking; they weren't; they were too involved in their reminiscing.

When he turned into the corridor he found her pacing with her hands on her hips. "So, I guess you left out some vital information at the gym the other night, _Detective Fischer_?" Jay stated, still not quite believing that she could be a detective.

"Me?" She scoffed, stopping her pacing and marching straight towards him. "You're meant to be my personal trainer. Please tell me you're here to help with enquiries."

"Actually, I'm a Detective too...with Intelligence." Jay replied, crossing his arms and staring her down. "Although, I bet you already knew that...saying your dad..."

"Believe it or not Jay, my dad keeps his work at work." She shot back. "I mean, why would he even be talking about you to me anyway? Now who's not lacking in self esteem."

"Georgie...Georgina...Detective Fischer...whoever you are..." Jay began to ramble.

"It's Georgie!" She quickly interjected. "Only my parents call me Georgina."

"Whatever!" Jay muttered, brushing it off. "Have you told your dad anything of what I told you?"

"What? No! Why would I?" Georgie quickly shot back. "Up until a few moments ago, you were only my personal trainer."

"A personal trainer that you desperately need." Jay retorted. "I mean, you can't even throw a punch, how you can be a Detective..."

"Because there is more to police work than just beating up the bad guys!" Georgie snapped. "And I'll have you know I scored pretty well in my combat classes at the Academy and I was all state in my high school and college track teams."

"I still don't quite believe you're a Detective though." Jay stated. "A Personal Assistant yes but a Detective?"

"I am...was a profiler and criminal analyst for major crimes in New York." Georgie replied.

"So you're a desk cop?" Jay scoffed.

"Technically yes but I was on patrol for a few weeks while I was waiting for my Detective certification." Georgie replied. "I mean, it's not by choice..." She paused and sighed. "...it's just what it is."

Jay sighed and lowered his voice. "Georgie, what I told you about my ' _friend_ ' Erin...if your dad..." Jay began to say.

"Jay, I'm not going to tell him about your partner." Georgie cut him off.

"And I'm just meant to take your word on it?" Jay shot back. "I mean no offence Georgie but it seems to me you're climbing up the career ladder pretty fast and..."

"Jay, trust me...my dad will not find out from me." Georgie stated.

"And I'm just meant to believe you?" Jay retorted.

"Jay, I'll keep your secret because you have my secret as your insurance policy." Georgie reassured him.

"And what is that?" Jay asked.

"My dad doesn't know I'm gay." Georgie replied. "And I'd very much appreciate it if it stayed that way."

"Huh...how...how does he not know that?" Jay asked, completely confused. "I mean, you were in a relationship for 7 years."

"With a girl who was my college roommate and then my housemate after graduation." Georgie replied. "Or at least that's my parents understanding of the relationship."

Jay sighed; finally understanding that Georgie's relationship didn't break down because she didn't want to get married. It broke down because she didn't want to come out of the closet. "Georgie, your dad seems pretty open minded..." Jay began to reason.

"Jay, it's complicated." She cut him off. "So are you going to keep my secret or not?"

"It's not my secret to tell." Jay replied.

Georgie gave him a half smile and gently brushed his arm. "Thanks." She simply stated and turned the corner to head back to Platt's desk, crashing straight into Dawson's chest as she exited. Her eyes widened and she did another double check. "Oh God! You're a cop too?"

Dawson shook his head, completely confused as she continued to walk away. However, he didn't have time to react; he focused directly on Jay. "A body was found down at the pier." He stated. "Initial reports suggest it's the same M.O. as the last two."

Jay sighed; it was the third body in a matter of weeks. So far, the first two victims had nothing in common apart from the manner they were killed.

He followed Dawson out of the District, noting the further confusion on Dawson's face as he saw Georgie with Commander Fischer, looking very friendly.

Dawson looked over his shoulder at Jay, his eyes questioning him.

Jay sighed. "Yeah, I'll fill you in on the way to the scene." He replied.

########

* * *

Jay sat at his desk, staring at the pen he was twirling between his fingers as the rest of the unit cleared their desks and left the bull pen, well aware there were no new leads to act on; the case would have to wait until tomorrow.

After he heard Ruzek call out "Good night" he finally looked up to stare at the case board, finding a photo of the latest victim staring back at him. He found himself shuddering as he stared at her photo; her hazel eyes, defined cheekbones and highlighted hair haunting him.

She looked so much like Erin it scared him. He knew it had scared Voight and Olinsky as well. When they had arrived at the scene, they had all been too afraid to approach the body, well aware of the description supplied by the witness.

In the end, it was Atwater and Ruzek that checked out the victim, completely unaware of the fear and worry from their senior officers. The body was quickly identified as Jessica Philips, a 28 year old kindergarten teacher.

Jay sighed and stared back down at his desk, disgusted at his own reaction to the victim being identified. He had felt relief; a huge relief. He hadn't even considered poor Jessica's family; that he had felt such relief when something so disgusting happened to their daughter.

He could hear Voight clearing his throat, forcing him to look up. Voight stepped towards Jay's desk; his hands firmly in his pockets.

Jay nodded towards the case board and the victim's picture. "Tell me you didn't think the same as me today?" He stated.

"Jay..." Voight sighed.

"I thought it was her and I know you and Al thought the same too." Jay added. "How...how can you be okay with living like this?"

"Jay, it wasn't her." Voight replied.

"But it could have been!" Jay quickly retorted. He shook his head.

"Jay, I'd like to think if anything ever happened to Erin, I'd feel it." Voight stated. "And I think you would too." He reached out with one arm and placed it on Jay's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You just got to make peace that it wasn't her today and the relief you felt doesn't make you a bad person."

"Easier said than done." Jay muttered.

"I know." Voight sighed. He gently slapped Jay's back. "Now, head home and get some rest. Tomorrow will be busy...we have to get justice for Jessica Philips and the other victims."

Jay nodded his head knowingly. "Thanks sir." He muttered, before sliding back his chair and exiting the bullpen; well aware of Voight's concerned eyes on his back.

#############

* * *

Erin's eyes popped open wide as she jumped into a sitting position on her bed; woken by the opening and closing of cupboards in her kitchen. She reached over to her bedside locker, finding a few condoms, some condom wrappers, an empty quarter bottle of vodka and a few loose pills but no gun.

She sighed at her muscle memory, remembering that she handed her gun to Voight when she quit. She slid off her bed, dressed in sweat pants and Jay's black hoodie that he had left at her place after their brief romance.

She grabbed a candlestick from her dressing table and glanced at the clock on the TV; it was 9:36pm. She slithered into the living area towards her kitchen, ready to take action; the candlestick poised and ready to be swung.

She froze, well aware of the silhouette standing in front of her fridge, filling it with groceries. "How the hell did you get in here?" She snapped, slamming the candlestick onto the breakfast bar.

"I know where you keep your spare key." Jay replied nonchalantly. He eyed the candlestick. "Nice choice...if you want to create a little romance."

Erin rolled her eyes, ignoring his teasing. "You and I both know I could take you with or without a weapon." She shot back as she slid onto the stool at her breakfast bar. "You're just lucky I no longer have my gun or I would have shot your ass."

"Please! You wouldn't destroy this baby!" Jay teased, wiggling his bum. "It used to be one of your favourite parts of me."

"Yeah, the key word being used to." She threw back, attempting to run her fingers through her tangled hair.

She quickly scanned her apartment; the dirty dishes loitering around were now washed and put away; the dirty laundry was nowhere in sight. The scraps of food and empty take out containers filled her garbage. The bottles of liquor in the corner of her kitchen were no longer there and her recycling was full of empties.

"What the hell did you do Jay?" She hissed, marching over to the recycling and pulling out an empty bottle of scotch. "I just bought that this morning."

"Really? 'Cause I never would have guessed saying it was nearly empty!" Jay shot back, pulling the bottle out of her hands and tossing it back into the bin. "I'm doing you a favour Erin...you'll thank me someday!"

"Thank you? Jay, I don't want to see you!" She fired back. "Why can't you accept that and leave me alone?"

"Because I know it's not true or you wouldn't be sleeping in my hoodie!" He retorted.

Exasperated, Erin quickly pulled down the zip and slid the hoodie off her shoulder, revealing a greyish sport bra and tossed the hoodie towards Jay. "I'm only wearing it because if you haven't noticed, I didn't have anything clean." She snapped. "It was nothing personal!"

Jay sighed and sat the hoodie down on the breakfast bar. He turned back to the fridge and pulled it open. "I bought that tomato and red pepper soup you like if you want me to heat it up?" He suggested, as if nothing had happened.

"For God sake Jay! Why can't you just respect my wishes and leave me alone?" She fumed. "You're not wanted here! I'm living my life the want I want to. I'm finally being the real me. I really don't need you turning up here, trying to save me. I don't need saving Jay...people need saved from me. Don't you get it? I quit you!"

"Yeah, well I didn't quit you!" He fired back, glaring at her. He slammed the fridge shut and then slammed the carton of soup onto the counter beside the cooker.

Erin's eyes widened as she noticed his balled up fists, fighting the anger inside him. She watched as he unclenched his fists and placed them on the breakfast bar; his arms supporting him as he rocked his body weight back and forth. He finally looked back at her.

"We pulled a body today down at the pier." He stated. "And normally, as cold as it sounds, they don't affect me...not since I found Ben's body...or Nadia's."

"Jay, if this is you attempt to counsel me..." Erin hissed, hating him for even mentioning her name.

"But this one...this one I was so scared I couldn't look; I couldn't breathe because I thought it was you..." Jay choked, a single tear escaping her tear filled eyes. "...and I'm pretty sure Olinsky and Voight felt the same."

"Well as you can see I'm still breathing so you can..." She began to say, marching towards her apartment door and pulling it open.

"Erin, I get that you want to be alone to grief Nadia, to accept that she is gone." Jay stated, interrupting her. He lifted the hoodie from the breakfast bar and began walking towards the door. "And if you were to tell me that me, Voight, the unit...that we're constant reminders of her..."

"Because you are!" Erin confirmed, her own eyes filling with tears; feeling that Jay was finally understanding why she couldn't be around him or anything associated with intelligence; everything was tainted by Nadia.

Jay paused at the open door and looked her directly in the eyes. "...I would get it." He finished. "But what I don't get is how you could let Voight...me...the unit live like this, wondering if every dead body is you."

"I really don't want to get you killed Jay." She softly sobbed, a tear escaping her own eyes. "That's why you have to stay away from me...why you all have to stay away."

"Erin, not knowing if you are alive or dead; it is killing me." He softly replied, gently brushing away her tear and cupping her cheek.

Erin allowed herself to lean into his touch, her lips briefly skimming his fingers before she realised what was happening and pulled herself back. "So text me." She stated; her voice cold and stern.

"What?" Jay asked, his hand returning to his hip.

"Text me one a day a week." She replied. "Then if I don't reply within a day, you have my permission to look for me."

"Erin..." He sighed. "...I don't think I could last a week." He knew it was an olive branch and he was taking a chance pushing her but he had to try for more.

"Fine!" She retorted. "Twice a week...on a Sunday and a Wednesday, if I don't reply within 24 hours, launch your search party; do what you have to do."

He sighed, knowing he probably wouldn't get anything more than her current offer. "Okay...Sunday and Wednesday...I'll be in touch." He reluctantly stated.

She nodded and waited for him to exit through the open door.

He fought every urge that he had telling him to reach out and touch her again and instead; gave a simple nod and walked out; only looking back when the elevator arrived; only to find her apartment door already slammed shut.

###############

* * *

Dawson, Jay, Atwater and Ruzek were sitting at their desks, trying to make it look like they were working but in reality; their mind and eyes were solely focused on Voight's office. They were trying to decipher what was going on between Voight, Olinsky and the commander behind the closed door.

They had heard raised voices; mainly from Voight; and at one point, they were pretty sure Olinsky had to calm down the situation. Voight definitely didn't like what the Commander was telling him, or instructing him to do.

Jay couldn't help but feel a little panicked, wondering if Georgie had broken her promise and told her dad that Erin wasn't just on furlough, she had quit due to drinking and drug use. He felt a wad of paper squashed into a ball bounce off his chest, snapping him out of panicked thoughts.

He looked over at Dawson, the thrower of the paper ball; his eyes questioning him.

"What do you think is going on?" Dawson hissed.

"How the hell would I know?" Jay hissed back. He noticed Dawson, Ruzek and Atwater all sharing the same quizzical look with each other, questioning his response.

They had all noticed that Jay and Voight, and to an extend Olinsky, had been spending more time together, meeting behind the closed door of Voight's office. However no one wanted to question what was going on; just in case they would not like the answer.

Jay sighed. "Guys, I seriously do not know what is going on." He reiterated again.

"You ah...you don't think Fischer is trying to put his daughter in intelligence, do you?" Ruzek asked, accepting that Jay knew as much as them.

"If he is, sarge won't like it." Atwater replied. "And to be honest, I don't think I'd like it either...I mean what if he puts her in as a plant, to spy on us."

"You think that could happen?" Dawson asked, looking at Jay.

"I honestly don't think Georgie is like that." Jay answered. "I mean, what I could establish from our brief exchange after discovering who she was, she's a desk cop and her dad would probably want to keep it like that."

Just then, the Commander stepped out of Voight office and strode towards the exit of the bullpen, nodding acknowledgment to the rest for the unit as he passed their desks. He did not look pleased; he looked like he meant business.

The unit's eyes focused on Voight's office, waiting for him to step out and update them. As he appeared at the doorway, leaning up against the frame, his hands shoved in his pockets, with Olinsky behind him, they knew he was not happy. They prepared themselves to deal with whatever he was going to throw at them.

Jay stared at his desk, waiting to be called into the office for betraying Voight's trust; for telling Georgie about Erin. He heard Voight clear his throat and waited for him to call him, but it never came, causing Jay to sheepishly look up as Voight began speaking.

"So the commander is not happy with how the case is progressing." Voight simply stated.

"But..." Ruzek began to protest before quickly silencing himself as Olinsky gave him a nod and Voight glared at him.

"He is making a temporary addition to our unit." Voight continued.

"But I thought this was your unit...you do the hiring and the..." Atwater began to say before retreating, noting the glare from both Voight and Olinsky.

"He wants to introduce a profiler to help us catch this killer." Voight stated. "A profiler who also happens to be his daughter." Both Dawson and Jay simultaneously groaned. "I know it's not exactly ideal but my hands are tied on this...she'll be green so..."

"Jay's her personal trainer at the gym." Dawson quickly fired out, ignoring the glares from Jay. He really didn't want to be partnered up with an inexperienced desk cop.

Voight removed his hands from his pockets and crossed his arms as he looked over at Jay. "You know this kid?" He questioned.

"I only found out she's a cop and the commander's daughter yesterday." Jay answered. "She stopped by the gym on a few occasions...Antonio, Sean and I; we all met her but no one knew who she was and she definitely didn't know we're cops."

"Well as she's your _'client'_ , she's your responsibility." Voight retorted. "She'll be here tomorrow."

Jay sighed reluctantly and nodded as Voight headed back into his office. Jay looked over at Dawson and fired back the wad of scrunched up paper.

"What?" Dawson scoffed, playing innocent.

"I'm her personal trainer?" He shot back. "Thanks for sacrificing me...not!"

"Hey! I didn't want to be paired with her." Dawson replied. "And um...you can forget about putting in a word for me. I don't really want to date the commander's daughter."

"Like I was going to put in a word after your threw me under the bus." Jay retorted.

###########

* * *

Erin walked towards her apartment building; pushing through the people rushing off to their work that morning while she was only making it home after a heavy night of partying. She heard her cell phone beep and momentarily paused to pull it out of her back pocket.

She sighed as a text message flashed up from Jay. "How are we today? Jay x." She chewed her lower lip, her eyes lingering on the kiss. She really didn't want hurt him; that's why she had begun keeping her distance; to save him from ending up like everyone she had every loved.

And although she had suggested the text message, she was already beginning to regret it; picturing him patiently waiting by his phone for her reply. She quickly typed a simple "Still breathing" and hit send before slipping her phone into her back pocket.

She entered her apartment building and froze; her eyes falling on her building superintendant; having a heated discussion with one of her neighbours regarding their rent. She lowered her head and quickly raced towards her elevator; not wanting to give him a chance to spot her.

She sighed with relief as the elevator door slid open then closed; allowing her quick getaway. She really didn't want to face him; especially as her rent was due and she didn't have it to give to him.

########

* * *

Georgie sat at Erin's desk, with a load of case files in front of her, studying them. She was wearing jeans, a white blouse and a midnight blue blazer. Ever so often her eyes would drift towards Jay's desk as he sat slouched back; repeatedly tossing a ball in the air and catching it again. There was no one else in the bull pen

She sighed and looked over at him again, studying him with intent. She sat forward and interweaved her fingers. "Jay, I'm sorry you got saddled with me." She stated. "I didn't want this to happen; my dad...he just wants to keep me close until I get my transfer confirmed."

"Georgie, seriously; you don't have to apologise." He stated, not taking his eyes off the ball as he continued tossing it into the air.

"I thought when my dad placed me in Intelligence; I thought I'd actually get to be part of the action." Georgie continued. "I didn't think that not only would I still be stuck on a desk but you would be stuck here too, babysitting me."

"Georgie, it's no biggie!" Jay replied, trying to sound nonchalantly. "I mean, I'm happy to have a day off the streets. It's not as action packed as you think." His phone beeped.

"You're a pathetic liar, you know that?" Georgie shot back as she watched him stop tossing the ball and sit up. He lifted his phone and sighed; the relief clearly evident to see. "Is that from Erin?"

"What? Huh?" Jay asked with a small smile on his lips as he finally looked over at Georgie.

"Erin." Georgie repeated. "It is a Wednesday, so I'm assuming it's from her and she's doing okay."

Jay sat his phone back down. He had forgotten that he had told Georgie about their little arrangement; she was just too easy to talk to and the loneliness of being desk bound while everyone was out chasing leads only emphasised it.

"I don't know if she is okay but she is definitely breathing." Jay replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Jay, it's a start." Georgie said. "She's taken a step in the right direction by communicating with you; I mean that must make you happy?"

"Don't!" Jay interjected, cutting her off.

Georgie shot him a questionable look.

"I know what you're doing Georgie." He scoffed as he picked up the ball again. "You're here to build a profile to help us catch a killer...not to psycho analyse me for some profile."

"What? I'm doing no such thing!" She scoffed.

"Uh huh...now who is a pathetic liar?" Jay stated, giving her a small smirk before beginning to toss the ball in the air again.

#######

* * *

Over the coming days and weeks, Georgie and Jay worked together with the unit and Mouse, building up a profile of the killer. They quickly established that the only thing the victims seemed to have in common was that the girls had all registered with an online dating site. Though, there was no common link regarding what man they had dated; none of them had dated the same man.

The process was slow and as a result, unfortunately a fourth victim had joined the other victims. It was a struggle and Georgie was desperately trying to prove to Voight and the rest of the unit that she was getting close to identifying their killer from the little evidence supplied from the crime scenes.

Jay was splitting his time between helping Georgie build up her profile of the killer and being out on the street, working on the other open cases and chasing leads. Occasionally, Voight even let Georgie join him if he was visiting his C.I.'s or carrying out a simple surveillance operation. Voight however, definitely didn't allow her to join them on busts.

Erin meanwhile, had stuck to her promise and was replying to Jay's messages twice a week. However, it didn't matter what Jay stated in his messages, the response was always the same; a simple "Still breathing."

Although he was missing seeing her face or hearing her voice; over those few days and weeks; he had began to accept the situation and was just happy to know that Erin was still alive. Of course he wanted her to heal herself and return to him and the unit but he still had piece of mind; which at this point, was better than where he was a few weeks ago.

#########

* * *

Erin stared at her reflection in the mirror as she pulled her dry, brittle hair into a rough bun. Her hair desperately needed styled but that was the least of her worries. She sighed at the sight of the deepening dark rings under her eyes against her pale skin.

She quickly wiped the few specks of white from the tip of her nose with the edge of the sleeve of her grey top and slipped on her denim jacket. She slipped her hand into the pocket of the jacket and sighed with relief as she felt the baggy between her fingers.

She headed out of her bedroom and towards the door of the apartment, pulling it open. Her eyes widened at the sight of her superintendant standing before her. She tried to close the apartment door but her reactions had slowed in her time away for the CPD and he jammed his foot in the doorway, blocking her.

"Erin, I need your rent." He stated. "I gave you an extension because you've always been on time but I can't wait any longer."

Erin reluctantly sighed; she knew it could no longer be avoided. "Fine." She muttered before walking back into her bedroom, leaving the superintendant at her door. She knew he was probably disgusted by the state of her apartment and knew that he'd probably send her a warning letter but she didn't care.

She headed straight to the dresser and pulled out the middle drawer; her underwear drawer. She slipped her hand right into the back of the drawer; her hand roaming between her panties and the various bags of pills and white powder before locating a wad of cash.

She unrolled enough from the wad of cash to cover the rent and replaced the wad, ensuring it was well hidden along with the drugs before closing over the drawer. Just as she was about to exit her bedroom, her phone beeped.

She looked at the message. "Where are you? Your customers are waiting." She groaned and pulled open the drawer again to lift out a baggy of pills. She quickly slipped them into her pocket and closed over the drawer before exiting her bedroom.

############

* * *

As Voight entered the bullpen, he found it the hive of activity as Mouse, Jay and Georgie set up the case board while the rest of the unit took their seats, waiting for the briefing. Voight sat down on the edge of Dawson's desk, crossing his arms and cleared his throat, making them aware of his presence.

"You got something?" He barked.

Georgie swallowed hard; still not used to Voight's bark. She felt the eyes of the unit on her and she suddenly felt sick. She felt Mouse nudge her, pushing her forward. She looked back at Jay; he nodded reassuringly.

She sighed and began to speak. "I think I might have come up with a way to catch our killer." She stated. She paused.

"Well? Any time now!" Voight barked. "It's only been like a few weeks."

"Oh right!" Georgie exclaimed and jumped into action. She pointed at the pictures of the victims on the board. "Now, we all know the only common factor between the victims that we've been able to establish so far is they were members of a dating website. However, there was no commonality regarding the men they were dating."

"Yes, we established that a few weeks ago." Voight barked. "I thought you established something new."

"She did." Jay stated, before nodding at Georgie again, encouraging her to continue.

"Well, I was so wrapped up on the man they may have all dated that I didn't even consider the profile of the girls and what they had in common to attract the same guy." Georgie stated. "So I looked back at the girls' bios and statements from their family and friends."

"So instead of a profile of our killer, we now have a profile on the victims?" Voight questioned. "We already have that."

"Yes, as individuals but not as a collective." Georgie stated. "And looking at them as a collective, I've discovered our killer has a type."

"And that is?" Olinsky asked.

Georgie nodded towards Jay. He stepped forward and began distributing information sheets. "The girls are all aged between 26 years old and 32 years old." He stated. "They all had a college education and were members of a sorority. They picked careers with a caring element but off the clock, they stayed close to their sorority roots; in short, were fun loving party girls."

"Sounds like the majority of ladies in Chicago." Atwater stated.

"Fischer, Halstead...I really don't see where this is heading." Voight barked. "How is this helping?"

"Well, we were all focused on who these girls were dating, we forgot that this singles website doesn't just offer dates, it offers singles night." Georgie stated.

"And I managed to get into the dating website's database." Mouse stated. "All our victims attended the singles nights regularly, including the nights they were killed."

"The girls didn't date the killer but they did meet him at singles night." Georgie stated.

"Along with lots of other single men." Dawson pointed out.

"Yeah but thanks to the database, I discovered there was only 7 men that attended all the singles nights our victims attended on the nights of their deaths."

"And thanks to DNA left at the scene, we can already eliminate another 3, leaving these 4 men." Jay added, pinning 4 pictures on the case board.

"So, your plan is?" Voight asked.

"Well, know we know what type of girl of killer goes for...we should set up a sting at the next singles night the website organises." Georgie stated.

"That is in two nights." Mouse added.

"That might just work." Voight stated. "Good work."

Jay slapped Mouse's back and tapped his shoulder against Georgie's, giving her a smile.

"So, do you want to pull up Kim...I mean Burgess for the mark?" Ruzek asked.

"Or, maybe I could do it?" Georgie interjected.

Ruzek scoffed. "You, as a party girl?"

"Ruzek, as a kid of a cop, I'm sure you know we're masters of partying on the DL." Georgie quickly retorted. "Plus I was Delta Gamma at Columbia...we were known for our partying while maintaining our dignity."

Ruzek looked back at Voight, who was studying Georgie with intent. "Sarge, you know Burgess can do this." He stated. "I mean no offence Fischer but you're a desk cop; you're too green..."

"Adam, you hadn't even graduated from the academy when Al pulled you." Jay pointed out.

"Sergeant Voight, I know I haven't done under cover before but I've been in these girls' heads and the killer's head for the last few weeks." Georgie stated. "I know I can do this."

Voight looked over at Jay. "You think she can pull this off?" He asked.

Jay looked at Georgie, her eyes pleading with him. He looked back at Voight. "Yeah, I think she can." He replied.

Voight nodded and stood up. "Well then, she's our girl." Voight replied. "This is on you Jay, you vouched for her." He walked into his office.

Georgie gave a little squeal and playfully bumped her body against Jay while Jay groaned and rubbed his face. He looked at Georgie. "I wouldn't be so happy if I was you." He stated. "We got a lot of work to do to get you ready."

##########

* * *

Erin's eyes blinked open as her bedroom was filled with the perky voice of the breakfast radio host blasting from her alarm. She slowly raised her head from the pillows, rubbing her eyes and then her temples.

Last night's partying was now having an after effect as she reached towards her bedside locker and grabbed two pills from the baggy sitting on top of the locker. She swallowed them without water as her eyes squinted to read the time on her alarm; it was 2:02pm.

Her eyes widened as the newscast began on the radio show, highlighting that it was a Thursday. Erin reached for her phone straight away, getting ready to reply to Jay's text message from yesterday. She really didn't need him or Voight coming looking for her.

She scrolled through the messages but there were no recent messages from Jay. "Huh!" She muttered, well aware that Jay had been sending her messages like clockwork every Wednesday and Sunday at 8am; only this Wednesday, there was nothing.

She tossed the phone back onto her bed and stretched her arm out to switch off the alarm, unable to shake off the question that had jumped into her mind; why hadn't he texted her?

############

* * *

Jay stood at the cooker, scrambling eggs and frying bacon. He could hear the water in the shower stop running. He served the eggs and bacon onto two plates and reached for two coffee cups. "Georgie, breakfast is ready." He called.

"Just gimme two minutes." She called as she ran from his bathroom and into his bedroom, wrapped in a towel. "Thanks for letting me crash here last night."

"It's no biggie." He called back as he sat down with his breakfast. They had been going over the case, prepping Georgie for her role for tonight's singles event. "So is your dad okay with this little sleepover?"

Georgie's head popped out from his bedroom. "If he asks, I was staying with a friend called Jayne." She answered.

Jay softly laughed. "Little does he know that Jayne would be more of a threat to his little girl's innocence than I am."

"Jay!" Georgie scoffed, tossing a balled up pair of socks towards his head.

Jay ducked his head, just as a knock at the door echoed around apartment. "You are so picking them up." He called back, lightly laughing as he reached out to open the door to his apartment.

He stopped laughing as his eyes fell on Erin, leaning against his door frame. Her eyes were dark and sunken into her face; her skin was pale; her hair looked like it hadn't seen a hair brush in a few days and her clothes were clean looking but wrinkled, as if she slept in them. She had her arms wrapped around herself, as if hugging herself for warmth.

"Erin." He gasped, surprised to find her there.

She exhaled with relief, thankful to see that he was okay. When he hadn't contacted on Wednesday, she had spent all of yesterday waiting for him text, apologising for being late but it didn't come. Then she couldn't shift the notion that he had been hurt or killed on the job and no one had thought to let her know.

"You're okay." She sighed.

"Of course I am." He replied, confused. "But are you?" He paused, silently hoping this was it; she was finally going to ask for him to help. "Erin, why are you here? Are you in trouble? Do you..."

"It's Friday Jay, it's Friday!" She interjected.

"Well yeah..." He muttered, quickly trying to understand the significance of a Friday. Did he forget some sort of anniversary?

She ran her fingers through her tangled mess of hair. "When you...when you didn't text..." She choked, before swallowing hard; fighting to keep the tears in her eyes.

"Oh God!" Jay exclaimed, finally remembering that he didn't text her on Wednesday.

"I thought...I thought..." She stuttered, fighting back her emotions.

"Erin..." Jay softly stated, realising that she had been worried about him. "I'm sorry, I'm working a case and I guess I got distracted and..."

"Jay, as nice as the breakfast looks, I'm gonna have to skip it to run home and grab a change of clothes before I get to the district." Georgie called as she exited his bedroom and headed towards him at his door. She stopped as soon as she noticed they had company. "Hey...you um, you must be Erin."

Erin completely ignored Georgie and turned to face Jay as she slowly backed away from the door. "Of course, you're not alone." She softly murmured. "I'm such an idiot."

"Erin, trust me...this is not what you think!" Jay pleaded.

"I um...I'm glad you're okay Halstead." She muttered. "And um...as you can see, I'm still breathing."

"Erin!" Jay pleaded but she stepped back into the open elevator door that then slid to a close.

"Jay, I am so sorry..." Georgie began to apologise as Jay closed the door. "...if I had known, I would have stayed in the bedroom."

"No, no...it's okay." Jay reassured her.

"How is this possibly okay Jay?" Georgie asked. "I just blew your chance at getting Erin back on track."

"No you didn't." Jay replied, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"Okay, now I'm completely confused." Georgie sighed.

"Don't you get it Georgie?" Jay stated; his smile widening. "She was worried about me; about my wellbeing. She still cares; the Erin I knew is still there; she isn't lost...I can still save her."

 **To be continued...**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, thanks to anyone who took the time to review what they read. I really appreciate it and I hope you continue to read and review this as I would love to hear your thoughts on this fic. Although I should give you an advance warning - this chapter is probably not the best so please let me know what you think.**

 **On a personal note, I start my new job (tomorrow - in like 10 hours) and I'm not sure how much time I'll have to write (which is a bummer as the writer in me is so excited about the new promo - I love my Jay) so please help my get a little motivation to keep going.**

 **Thanks!**

 **Chapter 3**

Jay was sitting on the sofa in Voight's office, across from Voight who was perched on the edge of his desk; his fingers tapping against the desk.

"So she stopped by your place, huh?" Voight stated.

"Yeah." Jay replied.

"And how did she look?" Voight asked.

"Well, she was breathing." Jay answered.

"That bad, huh?" Voight stated.

"I think she's using again." Jay told him.

Voight sighed and hung his head.

"But she was concerned when I forgot to text her." Jay continued. "That's got to mean something right? It shows she still cares...that the old Erin is in there."

"I'm just worried about which old Erin is in there." Voight stated. "If she's shooting up again..."

"Hank, I don't think she's slipped that far." Jay tried to reassure him.

"Here's hoping Halstead, here's hoping." Voight muttered. There was silence. Finally, Voight nodded back out towards the bullpen and Georgie's desk. "Is she ready for tonight?"

Jay looked over his shoulder towards Georgie before returning his gaze to Voight. "Yeah, I think she is." Jay replied.

"You think?" Voight asked.

"I know she is." Jay affirmed and Voight nodded knowingly.

#########

* * *

Jay sat in the corner of the bar, dressed in a suit, nursing a glass of scotch, keeping his eyes on Georgie as he tried to interact with the various single girls around him, maintaining his cover.

Georgie was sitting at the middle of the bar, wearing a baby blue sundress and matching lemon and baby blue cropped sweater. She was giggling and flirting back with the various men that were approaching her.

"Wow! Did she just down her fifth shot?" Jay could hear Ruzek question in his ear. "She wasn't lying about being a party girl. She looks completely sober."

Jay smiled, knowing it was as close as Ruzek would get to admitting he was wrong. Ruzek, Atwater, Jay and Dawson were spread throughout the bar, blending in amongst the singles while trying to keep their eyes peeled for the 4 suspects.

"Jack Winters is here." Atwater fed through their ear pieces.

"And so is Robert Meadows." Dawson added.

"Both of those meet the profile Georgie identified." Jay stated.

"Here's hoping they take the bait." Dawson said.

"Guys, it is nights like this, I am really happy I found Kim." Ruzek stated. "Being single and having to attend these nights to meet someone is definitely not for me."

"Really? 'Cause I'm kinda liking it." Atwater replied. "3 women have already given me their phone numbers."

"Guys, just remember why we're here." Jay reiterated, his eyes following one of the suspects as he made his way towards Georgie. "Georgie, Meadows is on his way."

Georgie nodded, signalling that she heard his message as Robert Meadows approached her.

#######

* * *

Jay watched as Georgie giggled and then placed her hand on Robert Meadows thigh. They had been talking for the last 10 minutes and Georgie was in her best flirty party girl mode. He watched as Robert leaned into Georgie and whispered something in her ear, causing her eyes to widen before giggling and nodding yes in agreement.

Then, Robert slipped off the bar stool and headed towards the exit. Jay looked straight at Georgie, wondering what was going on. Finally, Georgie's voice came through his and the rest of the unit's ear piece.

"Target is on the move." She stated. "He is with the valet now. He wants me to meet him at his car."

"Stay in place Fischer, Winters may still make contact." Dawson instructed. "Halstead, you're with me. Ruzek, Atwater; keep eyes on Winters."

Jay and Antonio exited the bar and headed towards Meadows, who was standing at the valet, waiting for his car to be returned. "Robert Meadows?" Antonio asked as they approached him. The man looked over his shoulder. Antonio and Jay both flashed their badges. "Chicago P.D., we were wondering..."

Before Antonio could finish the sentence, requesting that Meadows come with them to answer a few questions, Meadows took off running.

"He had to run." Jay muttered, taking off after him as he heard Dawson request Ruzek and Atwater's assistance as he followed Jay.

He continued running, providing the suspect's location for Atwater or Ruzek to try and cut him off. He could see ahead that Meadows was losing steam and momentum. Jay smiled, proud of his own fitness, knowing he still had plenty of speed and distance left in him as he began to catch up on Meadows.

Just as he was closing in, coming up at the end of an alleyway, he saw Georgie step out in from the path of Meadows; her fist clenched. He watched as her fist made contact directly with Meadows' nose, causing him to fall to the ground.

He couldn't help but laugh as he finally reached Meadows, rolling on the ground in pain as Georgie clutched her fist, muttering under her breath in pain. "Nice shot." Jay teased, rolling Meadows onto his stomach to cuff him. "Although if you used the technique I've been trying to show you, you wouldn't have hurt yourself."

"I'd thump you if it didn't hurt so much." Georgie shot back, just as Antonio, Ruzek and Atwater reached the scene.

Jay laughed in return and began reading Meadows his rights.

###########

* * *

Jay was sitting in one on the chairs in the E.R. waiting room, slouched back, and his hands behind his head, creating a pillow for him. He sat up straight as he saw Georgie step out of a cubicle with Will; her knuckles wrapped in a bandage.

He got up from the chair and headed towards them. "So what's the verdict bro?" He asked.

"Jay, I told you I'd be okay on my own." Georgie stated. "Who's questioning Meadows?" Jay ignored her and focused on Will. Georgie groaned, giving up in defeat.

Will gave a soft laugh before answering. "It's not broken, her knuckles are just bruised." Will replied, before placing a hand on Georgie's shoulder. "Now remember, no training with this guy for a week."

"Thanks Will." Georgie replied.

"Yeah, thanks bro." Jay stated, giving Will a man hug.

"Just doing my job." Will replied. "Don't forget, you're meeting me at Molly's tomorrow night."

"I'll be there." Jay replied.

Will nodded and headed back to the nurses' station, to pick up another file and patient as Georgie and Jay headed out of the E.R.

"Jay, I was serious back there." Georgie stated. "You should have stayed at the district and questioned Meadows."

"There's plenty in the unit to deal with Meadows." Jay replied. "I wasn't going to leave you on your own."

"So, how's the case looking?" Georgie asked, stopping at the passenger door of Jay's car. "Did we get our guy?"

"Antonio seems pretty confident that we did." Jay replied. "We're just waiting on the DNA samples to confirm it."

Georgie nodded as they climbed into the car and put on their seatbelts. "So um...has Erin been in contact since this morning?" She asked.

Jay glanced over at Georgie as he drove off. "Why would she be in contact when for the last few weeks, all I've got from her is 'I'm still breathing' twice a week?" Jay asked.

"She looked kinda upset this morning Jay." Georgie stated. "And I know you think it's good that part of her still cares 'cause it means the girl you knew is still in there somewhere but I can't help but worry about how she'll cope with those feelings. I mean, if she's spiralling..." She trailed off.

Jay sighed, knowing Georgie was right to voice her concerns. He had been so pleased to see the Erin still cared, he hadn't even thought what she would do; if her feelings would make her struggle even harder.

He knew what he had to do; he had to go and find her again, even though it went against their original agreement; that agreement had been broke the moment he forgot to text and Erin turned up at his door.

#############

* * *

Jay pulled into a lay by and watched her, standing on a street corner with another man that was far too sketchy for Jay's liking. She was fidgeting as if she was nervous, continually rubbing her nose. She hadn't changed her clothes from this morning or cleaned up her personal hygiene.

Jay sighed and stepped out of the car, heading straight towards her and the other man. As he approached, the other man spotted him and took off running.

Erin looked towards him and groaned at the sight of Jay approaching; the other man's hasty exit made sense to her now. However, she did not approach him; she stood her ground; waiting for Jay to come to her.

"Did I spoil your chance to score?" Jay asked. "I am guessing that guy was a dealer."

Erin rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, ignoring him. "What are you doing here Jay?" She hissed. "How did you even know I'd be here?"

"Your cell." Jay replied.

Erin inwardly groaned, taking note to buy herself a new phone; one that Mouse could not track. "Jay, we had a deal, you're meant to stay out of my business." She stated.

"Yeah well you broke that deal when you turned up at my place this morning." Jay shot back.

Erin groaned and rolled her eyes again. She knew she had made a mistake going to his place; she just couldn't help herself; she had been so worried when he hadn't made contact. "No, you broke the deal when you didn't message me." She quickly retorted.

"Yeah, like I said I was working a case and got distracted." Jay answered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Erin scoffed. "Yeah, the case got you distracted." She shook her head, trying to gain control of herself again. She knew she should be happy that he had moved on; she had no right to be jealous; she had no claim to him; she had Landon after all.

Jay sighed; well aware that the presence of Georgie in his apartment had shocked and possibly hurt her. "Georgie only stayed over because we were working the case and it was too late to go home." He tried to explain. "Nothing is going on there."

"Like I would care!" Erin quickly shot back. She paused. "Although she made a mistake skipping out on the breakfast. It was always the best part of sleepovers with you. I mean, what you lack in the bedroom, you definitely make up for in the kitchen!"

Jay knew she was trying to make him get fired up to respond; she was trying to hurt him. He swallowed hard, convincing himself that she didn't mean what she said. "Erin, she's just a friend; you can believe what you want." He simply stated.

Erin reluctantly nodded; giving up; knowing she would not get the reaction she wanted. "Well if that's all you have to say, I'm going to leave." She stated, already turning her back to Jay.

"So you can go and find another hit to make up for the one I just disrupted?" Jay questioned.

She softly laughed as she kept her back to Jay. "Goodbye Jay." She stated and turned her back to walk away.

Jay hesitated for a moment before following her, reaching out to grab her arm; forcing her to turn around. He took hold of her arm and rolled up her sleeve, just as Erin was about to protest. He sighed as relief washed over him; there were no needle marks.

Erin pulled her arm back and scoffed. "You thought I was shooting up again?"

"Well, do you blame me?" He fired back. "You haven't even tried to deny that you're looking for a score or a hit."

"Jay, what I do...it's none of your business!" Erin exclaimed. "I make my own choices...and one of those is to stay away from you and the rest of the unit. I'm not a cop anymore; respect my decision!"

"I can't...cause I don't agree with it." Jay replied. "I'm always going to keep fighting for you Erin. I keep my promises Erin...I will have your back; always!"

"Well then, you're even dumber than you look." Erin stated and walked away, knowing that Jay was watching her leave, debating whether or not to chase after her. Thankfully, this time, he followed her wishes and let her go.

############

* * *

 _ **A few days later...**_

Jay sighed as he peeped through the peep hole on his apartment door before pulling open his door, finding Georgie, armed with a Chinese takeaway and a six pack.

She didn't even wait to be invited in, pushing past him. "Guess who gets to stick around Intelligence until my transfer comes in?" She gleefully stated before her eyes landed on Jay, taking him in from his feet up. He was dressed in sweats and a stained army t-shirt. "This is how you spent your personal day?"

"I don't get days off that often." He replied with a shrug as he pulled a beer out of the six pack and headed straight towards the couch. "So I just decided to do a little R and R."

He didn't want to tell Georgie the truth, that when he phoned up Voight the night before, still shaken from his run in with Erin, Voight had insisted that he didn't turn into work today.

He could tell by the look in Georgie's eyes she wasn't buying it but she didn't force it as she followed him to the couch. She began pulling the boxes out of the take out bag.

"So, Voight is letting you stick around intelligence, huh?" Jay asked as he reached forward and grabbed a container and a set of chopsticks.

"Surprisingly yeah...I think he might even like me." Georgie replied, digging into her own container. Jay scoffed but Georgie ignored him. "So um, I was thinking after this we could possibly head to Molly's and have a few drinks to celebrate?"

Jay groaned. "Sorry G but I still haven't fully recovered from Molly's with Will on Saturday." Jay replied.

"Really? 'Cause Will called and told me you blew him off and you spent the whole weekend locked in your apartment." Georgie shot back.

Jay sighed. "What? Are you and my brother friends now?"

"He's just concerned Jay...and throw in the fact you took a personal day..." Georgie paused. "I'm assuming things didn't exactly go to plan when you touched base with Erin, huh?"

"I just...I just need a little time to plot my next move." Jay reluctantly answered. "I know I haven't lost her, I just need a better plan of action."

"So you didn't message her yesterday?" Georgie asked, knowing yesterday was a Sunday, his usual day to have contact with Erin.

"Yeah I did...she just, she just didn't answer back." Jay replied.

"So are we going to go look for her or...?" She began to ask.

"What's the point?" Jay interjected. "That deal is over...it was over the moment I forgot to contact her and she turned up here. I'm sure she's okay."

"So why have you locked yourself away Jay?" Georgie asked.

"Georgie..." Jay sighed.

"No, I'm serious Jay." She stated. "We're not doing this!"

"Doing what?" Jay asked.

"Staying in when we could be out celebrating my spot in intelligence." Georgie stated.

"Um, temporary spot." Jay corrected.

"Whatever!" Georgie brushed it off. "You are gonna march that butt of yours into the shower, you're going to get dressed and we're gonna hit Molly's and celebrate my shot to finally prove myself and be in the field, not just at a desk!"

"Can I eat my chow mein first?" Jay asked.

"Fine!" She sighed. "But then you are going to do exactly what I said...and no arguments!"

###########

* * *

Georgie quickly glanced over at Jay, who was sitting in the passenger seat as she drove to Molly's. "So um Jay, your brother Will...can he keep a secret?" She asked.

"Depends on the secret." Jay replied. "Why?"

"He's um...a friendly kinda guy and..."Georgie began to reply.

Jay cut her off, beginning to laugh. "Please do not tell me that my brother hit on you?" He scoffed.

"Jay!" Georgie sighed with frustration. "I just...I don't want to lead him on but if I tell him the truth, I just wanna make sure that he's not going to gossip about me."

"Well, if you would just tell your parents the truth, Will's loose lips wouldn't be a worry." Jay answered with a smirk, looking over at Georgie.

"Jay...it's harder than you think." Georgie replied, just as Jay's phone began to ring. She glanced over at him, he was staring at the screen; his eyes widening. "Are you going to answer that or...?" She trailed off as Jay showed her his phone; Erin's name flashing on the screen. "Jay, you have to answer it."

He knew she was right; he was just in shock; he hadn't been expecting this. He brought the phone to his ear and hit accept. He didn't even get a chance to greet her; her sobbing was echoing through the phone. "Erin...Erin...what is wrong?" He stressed, becoming panicked.

"Jay I...I think I'm in trouble." Erin sobbed. "It's gone too far...I made a mistake...I think he's dead."

He could almost feel her gut wrenching sobs through the phone. They were almost as hard and as heavy as the sobs she displayed when he found Nadia on that beach. "Erin, where are you?" He pleaded.

"At Landon's place." She cried. "17th on South, apartment 2F."

"Erin, I'm on my way." Jay replied. He turned to Georgie, who was already turning the car, preparing to head towards Landon's home.

############

* * *

Jay didn't even wait for Georgie's car to come to a complete stop before he hopped out and went charging towards Landon's apartment block. He didn't even attempt to take the elevator, charging towards the steps.

As he reached the second floor, his eyes quickly scanned the doors, looking for 2F. As soon as he found it, he didn't hesitate before busting through the door; his eyes quickly scanning the apartment for Erin.

His eyes found her, sitting against the couch, her knees curled into her chest, gently rocking herself as she sobbed into her knees. Then his eyes found Landon, lying on the floor with only the coffee table separating him and Erin.

As Jay raced towards them, he could see the white foam spouting from Landon's lips as his body convulsed. Then Jay noticed the small mirror and white powder with a rolled but $10 lying on the coffee table.

He knelt down beside Landon and began administering first aid, trying to remove any dangers. He glanced over at Erin. "Erin, what did he take?" He barked as he pulled out his cell to call an ambulance. "Erin!"

Her eyes widened, as if she had just noticed Jay's presence. "I...he...it was just some coke...I...we...it must be a bad cut." She stuttered.

"Jay." He could hear Georgie call before he heard her enter the apartment. "Oh my God!"

"You brought her?" Erin hissed.

Jay ignored Erin's comment, knowing she was in shock. He tossed his phone towards Georgie. "Call an ambo...he's O. on coke."

Georgie nodded and stepped out of the apartment.

"Erin, where did you get the drugs?" He asked. She ignored his question and continued rocking her body. "Erin, c'mon...tell me!" He pleaded. "If this stuff is on the street then Landon isn't the only one in trouble."

"I got it from Xavier Sanchez." Erin muttered.

Jay's eyes widened; Xavier Sanchez? The same Xavier Sanchez that narcotics had been trying and failing to nail for the last few years? "Where Erin?" Jay asked. "Where did you make the deal?"

"Ugh! Why do you always have to be a cop?" Erin shot back. "I thought you had my back!"

"Erin, lives are at stake here!" Jay snapped, taking her by surprise.

"He has a warehouse, 13th on 3rd." Erin shot back.

"Ambo is on the way." Georgie announced as she stepped back into the apartment. She knelt down beside Jay to help him administer first aid to Landon. She glanced over at Erin; she was still rocking herself and lightly chewing on her knees as she hugged them into her chest; fresh tears in her eyes.

Georgie looked back at Jay. "Jay, if she is here when the ambo arrives, she'll never get back into intelligence; she'll be lucky to make it back on patrol." Georgie whispered.

"I know." Jay muttered.

"She has to get out of here." Georgie whispered.

Jay's eyes widened. "But how are we gonna explain our presence here for the report?" Jay asked.

"I dunno...an anonymous tip off from a concerned neighbour." Georgie retorted.

"Georgie, I can't ask you to make a false report." Jay shot back.

"Jay, you're not asking." Georgie replied. "If she's here, her career is all but over; you'll never get her back."

Jay nodded; he knew Georgie was right. He manoeuvred himself towards Erin. "Erin, you gotta go." He stated.

She looked at him; her eyes wide and dazed. "But I..." She trailed off.

"Erin, if you are here then you are involved and I'll have to take you into custody." Jay stated. "You have to get out of here."

Erin looked over at Georgie, who was tending to Landon before she returned her gaze towards Jay; her eyes questioning him. "We've got your back Erin." He reassured her.

Erin nodded and took one last look at Landon before climbing to her feet and stumbling out of the apartment, just as the sirens began to ring, signalling that the ambulance was close.

###########

* * *

Brett and Chilli had left the apartment 20 minutes earlier; Jay and Georgie had just finished giving their report to the uniformed officers that had arrived on the call and were now lingering in the apartment.

"So what do we do now?" Georgie asked.

"What do you mean?" Jay asked. "We go home."

"Jay, I know Erin told you who supplied the drugs." Georgie stated. "We can't just let that batch be in circulation...others could end up dead. We need to go to narcotics or Voight or someone."

"Georgie..." Jay sighed. "...you need to go home."

"Jay...you want me out of the way so you can tackle this alone." Georgie realised. "Jay, this is crazy...I can't let you do that."

"G, I am just going to check on the warehouse." Jay tried to reassure. "There is no point getting a warrant and a team together if there is nothing there to find."

"Fine, if that's all you're doing then you won't mind me coming along." Georgie retorted.

"Georgie, you don't want to get involved in this." Jay stated.

"I already am." Georgie replied. "I'm not letting you do this alone...you're so busy having Erin's back, someone has to have yours."

Jay sighed, reluctantly; he knew she was not going to give in. "Fine." He muttered.

############

* * *

Georgie had pulled up outside the warehouse a few moments earlier with Jay sitting beside her. They could see a small light flickering. Georgie turned to Jay. "Are we calling this in or..." She began to ask.

"I'm going to check it out." Jay replied, getting out of the car and approaching the warehouse.

Georgie sighed. "I was afraid you were going to say that." She unclipped her seatbelt and slipped out of the car, following Jay.

She fell into line was Jay, shuffling up the side of the building. They came to a padlocked door. Jay pulled out a pin and knelt down to begin to pick the lock. He felt Georgie's hand on his shoulder, forcing him to look at her.

"Jay, we don't have a warrant." She pointed out. "This is breaking and entering."

"We're just taking a look." Jay reassured her. "If we find anything, we'll come back with a warrant and the rest of the unit."

Georgie reluctantly sighed and removed her hand, allowing him to pick the lock.

As soon as the padlock sprung open, Jay tossed it to the side, pulled out his gun and entered the warehouse, with Georgie following his actions. They weaved through the rows of carpets and rugs that were the possible cover for the warehouse.

Then, they saw him, Xavier Sanchez, talking to two other men, possibly his lackeys. There was a stack of cocaine and money sitting on the workbench.

"Okay, so now we call in for back up and a warrant, right?" Georgie questioned.

However, she could see it in Jay's eyes; he had no intention of turning back. He was angry; angry that this man had supplied drugs that could kill others and that could have killed Erin.

"Jay!" Georgie hissed, but it was too late; Jay was charging forward towards Sanchez. Georgie took a deep breath and charged after him. She could see that Jay was focused on Sanchez so she took off after his lackeys, who ran off in the opposite direction.

Jay moved fast, knocking the gun that Xavier Sanchez tried to pull out of his hand. They both scrambled for the gun, Jay kicking it out of reach and then landed a punch on Xavier. He continued punching him; his mind overcome with thoughts that this man could have killed Erin.

"Jay!" He heard Georgie bark. She had returned from chasing the other suspects empty handed; they had got away.

He looked down at Xavier Sanchez; his face bloody and his eyes dazed. He released him from his hold and stepped back, allowing Georgie to step in and cuff him while reading him his rights.

Xavier Sanchez began to laugh.

"I don't how why you're laughing Sanchez..." Jay stated. "...we finally got you, you're going down!"

"I'm not the only one." Xavier shot back.

"Oh, you're gonna name names, are you Sanchez?" Georgie questioned.

"Oh just one...my best dealer." He hissed. He looked directly at Jay. "You might know her as she used to be a cop, just like you."

Jay shook his head; he knew what was coming but he didn't want to hear it. Erin wasn't a dealer; he sold her the gear; she wasn't supplying it.

"Yeah...in fact, I think you might know her...your photos are all over her place." Sanchez continued.

"Sanchez, don't make any false allegations..." Georgie began to say, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Oh there is nothing false about my allegation." Sanchez retorted. "Its former detective Erin Lindsay...and I have proof!"

 **To be continued...**


	5. The final chapter

**Hey guys, I'm sorry I haven't been around more. I've had very little time. I started my new job last week (I received a promotion) but as no one has been hired to do my old job yet, I'm doing my old job and trying to learn my new job at the same time. To say I'm stressed is an understatement. LOL!**

 **Anyway, this chapter is not my best and the ending didn't exactly go to plan but I was struggling with it so I admitted defeat and have posted what has been my best (of a bad lot LOL) draft.**

 **Please be kind and tell me what you think. Thanks!**

 **Chapter 4 - The final chapter**

Jay stood, staring at Sanchez with his hands on his hips; he was desperately trying not to believe the words that had come out of his mouth but he knew, deep down inside, that there was an element of truth.

He knew that Erin had savings but it wouldn't have lasted this long; not the way she was partying. She had to have gotten the money somehow and he couldn't help thinking about the guy she saw her standing with in the alleyway the other night. She wasn't buying a hit; she was supplying one.

He hadn't even noticed that Georgie had placed the subject on a chair and was heading straight for him until he felt her grip on his arm as she pulled him back, out of hearing distance of Sanchez.

"Jay, how are we going to play this?" She asked.

"Huh?" Jay muttered, looking down at her; finally slipping out of his thoughts.

"Jay, we can't take him in..." She continued. "...not if he's going to drag Erin down with him."

"We...we have no choice." Jay stuttered.

"Of course there's a choice Jay!" Georgie hissed. "This is Erin! There will be no saving her if Sanchez names her! No one knows we're here...we could let him go."

"Georgie, those drugs are a killer!" Jay shot back. "Landon got lucky, the next person may not be! We have to get those drugs off the street and deal with the consequences. There is only so much we can do to protect Erin and I'm not going to get blood on my hands to do it."

Georgie sighed and rubbed her temples. "You're right." She stated. "Why don't you um...go outside and get some air? I'll stay with Sanchez and call it in."

Jay nodded and began to walk out. He knew he should probably stay with Georgie but Sanchez was secure and he really needed to get his head together before facing Voight. He really didn't know how he was going to break the news that Erin had turned to dealing drugs.

############

* * *

When he returned 5 minutes later, he instantly noticed that the seat a handcuffed Sanchez once occupied was now lying empty. He panicked; automatically thinking that Sanchez had somehow overpowered Georgie. Then his eyes fell on her, staring right back at him, not showing any signs of a scuffle.

"Georgie, what did you do?" He barked, marching towards her. He didn't need her to answer, he knew what she had done; she had set Sanchez free.

"Jay, I did what had to be done." She quickly shot back. "He was going to destroy Erin. The most important thing was getting the drugs off the street and look, we have them."

He looked at the workbench; the drugs were still sitting on it but the money was missing. He glared at Georgie. "G, he'll go straight after Erin!" He spat. "You more or less just signed her death certificate!"

"Jay, he has his money...that's all he worried about!" Georgie retorted. "He thinks we have Erin under heavy guard. He's probably skipping town as we speak."

"Georgie, we should have taken him in." Jay stated as he began to pace.

"Why Jay?" Georgie questioned. "The case probably wouldn't have stuck saying the evidence was obtained illegally." Jay stopped pacing and looked at her; he knew part of what she was saying is true. "Jay, I thought what I did was for the best."

"Georgie, how can we explain this?" Jay asked. "I mean...this is bad."

"Jay, I got this covered." Georgie replied. "Just let me do the talking."

"Georgie..." Jay began to protest.

"Jay, it was me that let him go...I got this." Georgie reaffirmed.

################

* * *

 _A few days later..._

Jay sat outside the conference room, wearing a grey suit and white shirt, with a black tie. He had his file from his union representative sitting on his lap. He was already aware of his fate; four weeks suspension.

Georgie however, wouldn't get off so lightly. He could see her thought the glass panelling of the conference room, sitting at the end of the long conference table with her union representative beside her.

Although the door was closed over and he couldn't hear what the committee was saying at the other end of the table, he could tell by their faces it wasn't positive.

He shook his head; disappointed with himself that he didn't fight Georgie more; he wasn't comfortable with her taking the majority of the blame for this; especially as he was the one that went after Sanchez without following procedures first.

He could feel his phone buzzing in his pocket but he didn't even attempt to answer it; he knew who it was; Voight. He was desperate for answers and had wanted to come along today but Jay wouldn't let him; he knew Voight would only try and defend them and place the blame on himself.

Although Jay hadn't told him exactly what had happened or Erin's involvement in it all; Voight was convinced that it was something to do with Erin; especially as Landon was involved in the initial call out. Therefore, he felt he should take responsibility.

 _Georgie and Jay were sitting in front Voight's desk; both their eyes looking down at the floor; neither one wanting to look up and lock eyes with Voight, Commander Fischer and Sergeant Timmons from Narcotics. Although, they probably wouldn't have caught Sergeant Timmons' eyes as he was too busy furiously pacing._

" _I'm sorry Georgina but your story just doesn't add up!" Commander Fischer exclaimed. "I mean, first you say you got the call to the victim's home from a concerned neighbour but dispatch has no record of it and if they had, they would have dispatched an ambo and maybe a patrol car if they thought the call out was dangerous."_

" _The concerned neighbour was a C.I..." Georgie tried to explain._

" _You don't have any C.I.'s Georgina!" Commander Fischer barked._

" _It was me that got the call." Jay stated, looking up. He couldn't sit back and watch Georgie's story get ripped to shreds. "The call came in from a blocked number so I'm not even sure who it was from...I'm just assuming it was a C.I. as they had my cell number."_

" _And you didn't think to put the call into dispatch?" Commander Fischer snapped._

" _We were near the scene." Jay replied with a shrug. "I was worried one of my C.I.'s was involved so I wanted to handle it myself but when we got on the scene, the victim was alone."_

" _And this victim was able to name Sanchez as his dealer and give his location while trying not to die?" Sergeant Timmons questioned before scoffing; not believing the likelihood of that occurring._

 _Jay glanced over at Voight; he hadn't spoken one word yet but Jay was well aware of his watchful eye; reading both Jay and Georgie's body language; studying what they weren't telling._

" _I guess he was motivated not to have someone else face the same fate."Georgie replied._

" _Why didn't you call in this info Halstead?" Commander Fischer barked; eyeballing Jay. "You're experienced enough to know the procedure."_

" _Jay...Detective Halstead wanted to do that." Georgie stated, cutting off Jay before he had a chance to respond. She quickly glanced at Jay before returning her focus to her father. "But I thought we should check out the warehouse first. I mean, who takes the word of someone O. ? I didn't want to get a warrant without being sure."_

" _And you went along with this?" Commander Fischer asked, staring down Jay._

" _I..." Jay began._

" _Jay was trying to educate me...encouraging me to take the lead as I don't have a lot of field experience." Georgie cut Jay off. "It should have been a simple observation of the location; a learning exercise but I took it too far."_

" _Detective Fischer..." Jay tried to cut in._

" _I thought I saw something and instead of following procedures, I took off into the warehouse." Georgie continued. "Detective Halstead did what any partner would do and took after me to have my back...it's not like I assessed the danger." She shrugged her shoulders. "I got lucky...Sanchez and his goons were not there. I guess it was a rookie mistake."_

" _A rookie mistake?" Sergeant Timmons hissed, stepping into Georgie. "You destroyed our year long case because of a rookie mistake!"_

" _Hey!" Jay stated, getting in between Sergeant Timmons and Georgie before Commander Fischer did. "We got the drugs off the streets before anyone else could be killed. Detective Fischer saved lives tonight..."_

" _We would have saved more if I was allowed to do my job and bring Sanchez in with the evidence!" Sergeant Timmons argued back. "Now we have the drugs but no link to Sanchez or his operation!"_

" _Well maybe you should have worked a little faster at your job." Voight stated, finally speaking as he glared at Sergeant Timmons._

 _Sergeant Timmons groaned with frustration. "Some of us like to follow the rules Voight." Sergeant Timmons stated. "I wouldn't let my detectives loose the way you do...that's when mistakes happen."_

" _Mistakes are there to be learnt from." Voight shot back. "That's why my unit is the best."_

" _Whatever!" Sergeant Timmons muttered. "Internal Affairs are gonna be all over this." He walked out of the office and the bullpen._

" _He's right." Commander Fischer muttered. "You two need to write up your reports and they better match."_

" _Yes sir." Both Jay and Georgie replied._

" _Halstead, I know my daughter created a mess and you're only trying to clean it up." Commander Fischer stated._

" _Sir..." Jay began to say; he really didn't want Georgie taking all the blame._

" _I'll make sure this isn't a permanent mark on your record." Commander Fischer continued, already stepping towards Georgie, signalling for her to stand up. "Voight, I'm sorry my daughter brought this on your unit."_

" _She's good police." Voight stated. "It was just one mistake."_

" _One mistake is enough to ruin a career." Commander Fischer shot back, leading Georgie out of the office._

 _Jay shot her a sympathetic and reassuring smile as she passed by; she shot a half smile back. He turned back to find Voight looking at him. "I um...I guess I'll write up my report." He stated, beginning to ease himself out of the office._

" _Sit your ass back down Halstead!" Voight instructed. "I need answers."_

" _We told you everything." Jay retorted._

" _This C.I...it was Erin, wasn't it?"Voight questioned._

" _Hank..." Jay sighed._

" _Jay...tell me the truth so I can lie for you." Voight shot back._

" _I think there are already enough lies involved." Jay replied._

" _How bad is it Halstead?" Voight asked._

" _If this isn't her rock bottom then I don't want to be here to see it...cause right now, the Detective Erin Lindsay I knew, she no longer exists." Jay replied._

 _Voight's eyes widened, shocked by Jay's comments, knowing he wouldn't give up on Erin easily but right now, it sounded like he just had._

Jay was summonsed out of his thought by the sound of the conference door opening. He stood up, just as Georgie's union representative exited the room, followed by Georgie. The representative nodded her acknowledge and headed towards the elevator.

Georgie's eyes widened as she found Jay, waiting. "You didn't have to stay." She stated; her eyes glazed by unshed tears.

"You had my back; I'm gonna have yours." Jay replied. "How did it go?"

"Surprisingly okay." Georgie replied. "I um...I didn't lose my badge."

"That's great!" Jay exclaimed.

"Yeah...but I guess I'm desk bound forever." She added with a shrug and a half smile.

"G...we gotta tell the truth." Jay sighed, feeling guilty.

"What? No...we could both lose our badges." Georgie replied, stepping into Jay and taking hold of his hands. "Jay, my dad was always going to find a way to make me desk bound...now it's been done for him."

"But..." Jay tried to protest.

"Jay, my dad will make sure your suspension will be wiped from your record after 2 years and it won't affect a chance of promotion in the future." Georgie replied. "I mean, if you lost your badge, who would Erin partner when you save her?"

Jay sighed. "I don't think she can be saved."

"Jay!" Georgie exclaimed, smacking Jay's arm. "We did not go through this for her not to be saved."

"I think it's gone too far Georgie." Jay replied. "I think it's time to admit, I'm done."

#############

* * *

Jay pulled his car into his parking space opposite his building and exhaled. He leaned back and rubbed his eyes; thankful the day was over.

He had called Voight back after he left Internal Affairs to inform him of his suspension. To say Voight had not taken it well was understatement but thankfully Olinsky was on hand to calm him down before he did anything stupid.

Now, Jay just had to figure out what to do with the next four weeks. He had toyed with the idea of going up to his grandfather's cabin in Wisconsin but then he realised it would only make him think of Erin as he had really wanted to share it with her.

He knew Georgie had asked him to continue training her in the gym and she also hinted that she wanted help to look for a place to live. She had decided to come out to her parents but she wanted to have a place lined up in case they didn't take it well.

He sighed and looked down at the passenger seat to pick up his file. He picked it up and stepped out of the car before making his way across the road towards his building. As he approached the lobby doors, he noticed a shadow stepping out of the bushes.

He groaned at the shadow approaching him; he really didn't have the energy to deal with this tonight; all he wanted was a beer and a night in front of the TV.

"Jay..." Erin's raspy voice caught in the breeze. She was pale; her eyes were sunken and the dark circles underneath were practically black. She was hugging herself; her leather jacket not providing much heat. "...how...how is Landon?"

"Huh, it took you three days to remember his existence huh?" Jay shot back, not caring if he sounded cold.

"I waited around Chicago Med, hoping to see Will." Erin tried to explain. "I guess he is working different shifts or something..."

"So I'm the last resort huh?" Jay fired back.

"No I...Jay...I just thought you'd might not want to see me." Erin answered. "But I'm clean now...I haven't taken anything or drunk anything since Landon..." She trailed off.

Jay scoffed.

Erin quickly glanced at her feet before looking at Jay again. "Is he...is he okay?" She asked again, referring to Landon.

"Yeah...no thanks to you." Jay replied.

"Jay, I called you for help." Erin retorted, a sob catching the back of her throat. "I tried. I didn't know the stash was bad..."

"Why? Because if you did, you wouldn't have sold it to him?" Jay hissed.

"What?" Erin scoffed, trying to be nonchalant.

"We caught up with Sanchez Erin...we had to get the drugs off the streets." Jay replied, his eyes following Erin as she began to pace up and down nervously on the sidewalk. "He told me about your dealing..."

Erin stopped pacing and looked directly at Jay. "Jay..." She pleaded.

"But don't worry, Georgie and I had your back as promised." Jay continued. "Daddy Hank has no idea how far you've actually fallen. Granted...I've been suspended for a month and Georgie...she's desk bound for her whole career and she's good police...no, great police!"

"Jay, I didn't want any of this to happen...I just...I just...I needed money and stuff and I dunno...it was so easy..."Erin cried, a tear escaping her eye as she stepped towards Jay. However, he stepped back; out of her reach.

"You know, the funny thing is that this all started because you blamed yourself for Nadia's death." Jay stated, softly laughing. "That however, was not your fault but those drugs...if we hadn't got to Landon...if they had gotten on the street because of your dealing...then their blood would be on your hands. That would be your fault."

"Jay..." She pleaded as a few more tears escaped her eyes. She reached out to take hold of his hand but Jay brushed her off.

"You know what? I'm done! We're done!" He softly stated, beginning to head towards his lobby.

"Please Jay, I can't do this alone." She tearfully pleaded. "You promised. Always, remember?"

Jay stopped and spun around, taking in the sight before him; Erin's tearful eyes pleading with him. He strode towards her and gripped onto her arm, ignoring her squeak of pain as he marched her towards his car.

"Jay...what...what are you doing?" She pleaded, confused and scared.

"You wanted help, I'm giving you help." Jay shot back as he opened up the passenger door, pushing her in before she had a chance to protest. He slipped into the driver's seat and started the car.

"Jay, please don't take me to see Hank." She pleaded. "I will tell him everything just not now...I can't do this Jay, please."

"Oh, I'm not taking you to see Hank." He retorted, keeping his eyes on the road.

"So where are you taking me?" Erin questioned. Jay however, did not respond; he kept his eyes on the road.

Finally, the car came to a stop and Erin knew exactly where she was; her eyes falling on the same rehab facility she had dropped Nadia outside the first time they met. She glared at Jay. "I don't need rehab Jay!" She snapped. "I told you I'm clean...I haven't used anything since Landon..."

"Well then, this will be a piece of cake for you." Jay replied, leaning over her to push open the passenger door.

"Jay..." She pleaded.

"I meant what I said Erin...I'm not doing this anymore...I'm done." He stated.

"You don't mean that." Erin pleaded.

"Erin, the choice is yours." He replied.

"I don't need rehab Jay." She pleaded.

"And I don't need to see you doing this to yourself but hey, shit happens." Jay replied.

Erin's eyes widened. "Who are you?" She questioned. "I don't even know you anymore. The Jay Halstead I know wouldn't be so cold."

"The Jay Halstead you knew doesn't exist anymore." Jay quickly shot back. "Now, get out of my car."

Erin reluctantly stepped onto the sidewalk and slammed close his passenger door. She paused, waiting for him to roll down his window and apologise or offer some kind of support. However, it didn't happen; instead, he drove off, only briefly looking back to find Erin still standing on the sidewalk; not making any effort to enter the facility.

############

* * *

 **4 weeks later...**

Georgie opened her fridge and pulled out two bottles of beer, handing Jay one after be put down the last box. Jay gratefully accepted the bottle and twisted off the cap, taking a big gulp. Georgie watched him, her bottle hovering over her lips.

"So do you need a hand unpacking this stuff or...?" Jay asked, trailing off.

"No, I got this." Georgie replied. "I think you did enough, helping me find this place and then actually helping me with the move."

Jay glanced over at Georgie. "I couldn't help but notice your mum or dad weren't at their place when we were getting your stuff." He stated.

"Yeah, I um...I kinda told them the truth about me and my ' _roommate_ ' Elise the other night." Georgie replied, her eyes glazing over.

"Georgie..."Jay sighed, reaching out to place his hand over hers to give it a reassuring squeeze.

"No...it was fine." Georgie replied, her voice cracking a little. She pulled her hand out from under Jay's to wipe away a few escaped tears. "They um...they were just upset that I kept that part of my life hidden from them."

"They just need time." Jay reassured her.

"Yeah, that's what my dad said." Georgie softly muttered. She paused for a moment before looking back at Jay, forcing a smile. "So, enough about me...are you ready for your big return to Intelligence tomorrow?"

"Yeah...I guess." Jay replied with a shrug. "I guess, I kinda got used to seeing you every day and it'll be kinda weird not having you at the district."

"Jay, I've only been shifted to Beverly." Georgie replied. "And we'll have the gym...plus, now you know where I live..." She gave him a teasing smile.

"True and the fact you're in Beverly now, you'll have even more time for the gym because you'll not be profiling murders...just financial fraudsters." He shot back teasing, before softly laughing.

Georgie playfully punched his arm while also softly giggling. Their laughter slowly subsided and Georgie paused before speaking again. "So um...Erin will be getting out of rehab tomorrow as well huh?"

"Yeah...I um guess." Jay muttered, looking down at the bottle of beer in his hands. "At least that's what Voight said."

"And um...have you talked?" Georgie pressed.

"What was there to talk about?" Jay shot back.

"Jay..." Georgie sighed softly.

Jay looked up to meet her eyes. He knew that Georgie had made an effort not to bring up Erin during the last four weeks but he knew himself he'd have to face her sooner or later now she was getting out and Georgie was only trying to help him prepare for it.

"She did invite me to one of her therapy sessions." He answered, noting the hopeful rise in Georgie's eyebrows. "But I um...I didn't go."

"Well it was nice of her to invite you." Georgie tried to reassure him. "It shows she's trying to make amends, that she still wants you in her life."

"Voight went once...said it helped." Jay stated. "He said Erin was finally 100% honest with him and it helped him see things differently."

"Well I'm sure she'll still have some sessions to do now she's out." Georgie stated. "Maybe she'll invite you again?"

"G, I said I was done...I turned my back on her...I quit." Jay stated; his voice full of regret.

"Jay, you didn't quit!" Georgie affirmed. "You dished out tough love at a time she was ready to actually take it. You helped her find her way."

"I abandoned her." Jay shot back.

"No, you gave her a choice." Georgie retorted. "You did the right thing...she had to walk into that facility herself Jay...you had her back...and she knows that."

"I hope so." Jay muttered.

############

* * *

Jay took a deep breath, preparing himself to enter the district for the first time in 4 weeks. He opened his car door and stepped out, quickly locking it up before jogging towards the entrance. He walked through the doors, keeping his head down, not wanting to know how Sergeant Platt was going to tease him about his suspension.

However, she greeted him with a smile and motioned him towards her. He hesitantly walked towards her, preparing himself for her cutting remark as he reached the desk. He squinted his eyes as she raised her arms; waiting for her to smack him; instead, she engulfed him in a hug; taking him by surprise.

"Thank you." She whispered in his ear.

"Huh?" He muttered, completely confused as he stepped back from the embrace. "For what?"

"You saved her...Erin...she's getting out today and it's because of you." Sergeant Platt explained.

"I...she...um...she did that herself."Jay muttered, completely thrown.

"Now you're just being modest." Sergeant Platt stated, playfully smacking his arm. Again, Jay's eyes widened in surprise. "You're good for her Halstead...Hank will accept that soon too."

"I um...I better go or I'll be late for the briefing." Jay muttered, completely confused as he walked towards the security of scanner.

"Of course." Sergeant Platt stated. "Welcome back Detective Halstead."

"Um...thanks." Jay muttered, before jogging up the steps towards the bullpen. He was still shaking his head as he entered the bullpen to find the rest of the unit climbing to their feet to welcome him back. "I just had the strangest encounter with Platt...she was actually nice."

He accepted the hugs, fist bumps and slaps to the back from every member of the unit. "I think she actually missed having you around Halstead." Dawson stated.

"Yeah, Ruzek and Atwater don't sass her back." Olinksky added.

"Yeah, 'cause we appreciate our lives a whole lot more than the art of the burn." Atwater pointed out.

"And anything I do, Kim gets punished for." Adam reasoned.

Jay softly laughed, forgetting how much he missed the unit. Yes, he met up with them occasionally at Molly's during her his few weeks of suspension but it wasn't the same as actually being back in the bullpen.

His eyes fell on Voight, leaning against the doorframe of his office with his arms crossed. Jay gave him a silent nod of acknowledgement. Voight nodded back, silently inviting him into the office.

As soon as the office door closed behind Jay and Voight, Jay felt Voight's strong arms embracing him, giving him a quick hug and a pat on the back; taking Jay by surprise for the second time in a matter of minutes.

"You should have told me." Hank stated.

"Told you what?" Jay replied.

"About Erin and her involvement with Sanchez." Hank replied. "She told me about it at her therapy session and how you covered for her."

"Hank..." Jay sighed.

"While I appreciate you trying to protect me Halstead, I know everything about Erin's past and honestly, as much I hate the idea of her dealing, especially for scum like Sanchez, I'd rather than have her dealing than selling her body for drugs again."

Jay nodded.

"I just wish you and Detective Fischer had come to me." Voight continued. "I could've handled Sanchez."

"No offence sir but I did not want Sanchez in the river or at the Silos." Jay stated.

Voight shrugged. "We all have our ways Halstead and I respect yours." He stated. There was a pause. "She's getting out today."

"Yeah, I got your message." Jay replied.

"She'll be staying with me for a few weeks...her counsellor suggested it." Voight added.

Jay nodded.

"I'm waiting for her call to pick her up." Voight continued.

Again, Jay nodded.

"We've got a few cases on the go so..." Voight continued.

"I'll go over them with Dawson and get caught up." Jay interjected.

"Jay, I think I trust you to get caught up yourself." Voight stated.

"Okay." Jay muttered, surprised again.

"I mean, like I said...we have a lot of cases on." Voight reaffirmed. "Dawson will be in the field, along with the rest of the unit. I'm even chasing up leads. I might be unavailable to collect Erin..."

Jay sighed, knowing what was coming. "Sir..." He began to say.

"Jay, I think you need to be the one that picks her up." Voight stated. "You earned it...she earned it."

"Sir..." Jay sighed. He felt Voight place his hand on Jay's shoulder and give it a small squeeze.

"Jay, the one thing I learnt through this whole sorry mess is that you need each other...you're good for each other." Voight stated. "I just couldn't see it until I saw the mess you both created apart."

Jay's eyes widened. Was this his way of giving them his blessing to be together? If so, his timing completely sucked and he also felt kinda insulted. "Hank..." Jay began to say.

"Now, I'm not saying you should rush into anything." Voight quickly added. "The last thing Erin needs right now is a relationship but I do know she needs you so..."

"I get it." Jay stated, nodding.

"Yeah well I also hope you get that I'm not against taking you to the silos or the river if you hurt her." Voight retorted.

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Jay replied.

###########

* * *

Jay sat on the hood of his car; his eyes focused on the entrance of the rehab facility. He shivered slightly as the fall breeze blew past him. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and pulled his leather jacket/black hoodie combo closer into him. He swallowed hard and gave a small cough as his throat was dry.

He felt nauseous and nervous; not knowing what to expect. He didn't know if Voight had told Erin that he would pick her up when she called. He didn't even know if she even wanted to see him. He wasn't even sure he wanted to see her but yet, here he was, sitting outside, freezing his ass off waiting for her.

Then, he saw the door to the facility open. He slid off the hood of the car onto his feet and swallowed hard again; swallowing any sensation he had to vomit and just looked straight ahead; shoving his hands in his pockets.

Erin stepped out of the door of the facility; dressed in her jeans, red t-shirt and black jacket with the faux fur collar. Her hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail. She momentarily gasped as she saw Jay; she wasn't expecting him.

She had thought her biggest challenge when she got out was walking past the dealers standing around the corner but right at that moment, she knew facing Jay again was an even bigger challenge. She swallowed hard and began walking down the steps and towards his car.

She paused a few feet from him, not sure what to do; his hands were firmly stuck in his pockets and he hadn't made any attempt to approach her or to crack a smile. "I um...I thought you were done." She softly croaked.

"Yeah, well...um..." He stuttered, removing one hand from his pocket to rub the back of his neck. He didn't know what to say or how to respond to her statement.

He didn't have a chance to find his words as he stumbled back, surprised as he felt Erin arms engulf him, clinging to his waist; burying her head in his chest. He fought the urge inside him, telling him to rub her back and tell her everything was okay because if he was honest, he wasn't 100% sure everything was okay.

Instead, his arms hung by his sides. He could feel her soft sobs against his chest and he sighed; feeling his resistance waning. Finally, Erin stepped back and looked up at him; her eyes red and swollen; her cheeks tear stained.

"Thank you for being here; for not being done." She stuttered, her hand beginning to frantically brush his tear soaked shirt. "I'm so sorry...I...look at your shirt."

"Erin...Erin...its okay." He stated, reaching out to take hold of her wrists. "It's okay."

"Jay, I really messed things up." She stated.

"Erin, you were grieving." Jay tried to reassure her.

"Jay we all were." She quickly shot back, a tear escaping her tear filled eyes. "I've caused so much trouble..."

"Erin, it's okay." Jay reassured her again.

"No it isn't Jay!" She argued back, breaking her wrists free from his hold. "I could have ended your career and your partner's, all because I was selfish and stupid but you still always had my back...you kept your promise...always."

"Well, not always." Jay muttered.

"Jay, you brought me here..." Erin retorted.

"I left you here." Jay corrected.

"Because you knew I had to go through those doors myself." Erin reaffirmed. "I didn't deserve everything you did for me or what your new partner did...I mean, she didn't even know me."

"But she knew of you." Jay replied. "And she wasn't technically my partner...I mean; you're my partner...always."

"Even though I quit CPD?" Erin asked.

"Yeah, about that...you didn't quit, you just went on furlough." Jay replied.

Erin softly laughed and shook her head. "Typical Hank." She muttered, giving Jay a sideways glance and smirk.

"Yeah, speaking of Hank...I better get you back to his place." Jay stated, placing his hand on Erin to guide her into his car.

Her eyes widened as she noticed Voight's door key on Jay's keys. Voight had given them to Jay to let Erin into his home. "Hank?" She questioned, surprised that Jay was on a first name basis with their sergeant. "And you have his keys?"

"Yeah, I guess I'm special now too." He joked. Erin rolled her eyes. Jay sighed. "Erin, things have changed...Hank...Voight and I, we've come to a new understanding."

Erin nodded. "Yeah I guess." She sighed. "So um...what about us? Will we ever have a new understanding?"

"We'll get there." Jay replied, giving her a half smirk.

"Good." Erin replied, rubbing her hands along her jeans. "I mean, I know things will change...especially now you have a girlfriend..."

"Girlfriend?" Jay scoffed, before realising Erin was referring to Georgie. "Erin, Georgie was always just going to be friend...just the way you were always going to be my partner."

Erin nodded, fighting the wide smile desperately trying to spread across her lips. "You really always do have my back, don't you?"

"Well I always want to try." Jay replied.

Erin nodded and paused before speaking again. "And I'm gonna try too...to have your back like you have mines...always."

"Erin..." Jay sighed, glancing over at Erin as he drove. "...if you really want to have my back, just focus on your recovery...I need my partner back."

"And I want to be back...with you...always." Erin replied.

Jay couldn't help but smile. He glanced at Erin. "Let's just take every day as it comes Erin." He stated. "Always can wait."

"And will you wait?" Erin asked.

He glanced over her again and slipped his free hand in hers, entwining their fingers. "I'm here, aren't I?" He replied.

Erin glanced down at Jay fingers, entwined with hers and smiled. She had forgotten how his touch made her feel and the natural high it supplied. "Yeah you are." Erin softly whispered as he continued to drive her to Voight's home, holding her hand.

 **The End!**

 **I'm not sure if I should follow this up with an epilogue. Let me know what you think...please review what you read! Thanks!**


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